Playing With Shadows
by Rahainia
Summary: Bo and Dyson continue their 'friends with benefits' relationship while solving a mystery around a garden of statues.  Possible hints to Bo's past may also be revealed to her...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"You," Bo started as she plucked a grey-white tuft of fur from the couch, "Have a shedding problem."

"You would, too, if you didn't receive a regular grooming." Dyson countered, grinning.

"Is that a request?" The brunette volleyed back.

"Well, you did say we were friends with benefits. An occasional brushing would be nice."

"Am I to rub your belly, as well?"

"Only when we're naked and in bed." The male fey leered playfully, pulling Bo closer to him. She was tall for a woman, made taller in her heeled boots, and yet she was still petite when compared to Dyson's nearly 6'4" lean frame. "Which is the state I'd much rather be in right about now."

Bo enthusiastically returned Dyson's grin, her brown eyes never leaving his light-coloured ones as her fingers slowly…deliberately…unbuttoned the flat disks securing his dark vest.

"You know, you have way too many clothes on." She muttered, her attention dropping to the small buttons on his black shirt. Bo released the top couple and felt her mouth start to water at the sight of his chest beneath. It was one thing to be able to kiss a man and not kill him, but surely the feelings that coursed through her body when Dyson's lips met hers were not normal. She had compared it to the fireworks normally seen on the 4th of July, but it went beyond that. Still, for now, she had to content herself with being friends with benefits when it came to her relationship with Dyson.

~ Enjoy this. ~ She thought to herself.

Dyson watched Bo's eyes darken even more as her passionate nature was released from what little control she maintained over it. He knew she was still young, at least in the sense of controlling her fey abilities. And yet, physically and emotionally she was his equal in the bedroom. His own lustful appetite had never had a problem, yet with Bo he experience a novelty. She both satiated him and left him craving more. Other women had come and gone, serving a simple purpose to meet his baser needs. But with Bo…

~ Enjoy this. ~ He though to himself.

Pulling Bo's black tank-top off, Dyson marveled at the well-toned muscles in her arms. Leaning forward, he ran his tongue from Bo's inner elbow up to the inside of her wrist. He snaked an arm around Bo and pulled her against him…chest to chest. Skin to skin. Vaguely, he wondered when his own shirt had been removed.

Bo dipped her head and ran her lips lightly along Dyson's upper chest. When they had first tumbled into her bed, she had wondered at his body heat, so much warmer than her own. Understanding his fey type, she realized that his canine inner being was that which generated so much heat.

~ This could come in handy during winter. ~ Bo giggled softly.

"That better not be for anything you see." Dyson growled.

"Oh, trust me, I'm thoroughly liking everything I'm seeing." Bo whispered, running her nails down Dyson's chest. He rumbled his pleasure.

"Share the joke?" The were-fey asked, grabbing Bo's hand, stilling it in its downward journey to release his pants.

"Later." Bo promised, licking her lips. She pouted at Dyson and wiggled her wrist slightly.

With a melodramatic sigh, Dyson released his hold on Bo. His head of red-gold hair lolled back and the sound of his zipper being tortuously lowered thrilled him. Fingernails gently brushed against his hips as Bo slowly tugged on the belt loops of the pants.

"If you don't hurry up, woman, I will NOT be responsible for what ensues." He hissed.

"I'm shaking in my boots." Bo chuckled.

"Speaking of…they can stay on."

"Kinky."

"I'm a man of varied tastes."

"Yum."

Stepping out of his pants, Dyson opened his blue eyes and watched Bo neatly shimmy out of her own pants. His breathing increased as her body was revealed to him wearing nothing but those delectably heeled-boots. Firm breasts. Flat stomach. Toned legs. Oh yes, she was his…match. Briefly, he toyed with the possibility of another m-word, but that would mean commitment on his part and there was still too much left unsaid between them…too much to discover about each other…too much deception on his part.

Dyson inhaled deeply as Bo stepped closer. Her scent was enough to drive him insane. He wanted to bury his nose in her hair, in between her breasts, that neatly trimmed juncture at the apex of her legs. The wolf in Dyson silently howled its pleasure at what was about to occur.

Bo rubbed up against Dyson, claiming his mouth with her own. His faint beard teasingly scratched her skin. She had never been a big fan of facial hair until she had met Dyson. With him, the scruff on his face was almost like an extra way to tease her…as if his hands and mouth and tongue weren't able to do a good enough job on their own. Humming her pleasure at the contact, Bo pushed Dyson back on to the couch. She straddled him and enjoyed the illusion that she was taller than he. Continuing to torment her partner, Bo ducked down and nibbled on one of Dyson's ears before softly biting his neck, almost on the back.

"Mmmmm…" Bo rumbled. "Trying to pretend you're the alpha in this relationship?"

"Well, I am on top." Bo pointed out.

"Time to fix that." Dyson snarled and stood up, carrying Bo's weight easily.

~ Oh gods. ~ Bo closed her eyes in pleasure. It was one thing to wake up and find out she hadn't killed her partner with her succubus powers, but this…this was pure delight in her femininity.

"Maybe we'll make it to the bed…later." Dyson muttered, cautiously lowering the two of them to the rug in front of his fireplace. He had been somewhat uncertain about bringing Bo in to his den. This was his sanctuary and while it was a sparsely populated loft in an old renovated warehouse, it had all the comforts he needed. The fire he had started when they had first arrived, burned brightly. He looked down at Bo, taking in the warm glow off of the female fey's skin. Her dark hair shone brightly with reds and oranges.

Nestled between her legs, Dyson smiled at Bo. With one hand, he stroked her hair, the side of her face, and the top of her shoulder. A deep purr was his reward. Blue eyes darkened in passion at the response. Slowly, Bo opened her eyes and stared up into those blue of Dyson's. Returning the smile, she arched up and licked Dyson's lower lip. Exhaling sharply, Dyson swooped down and attempted to assert his dominance over Bo.

Bo, breathing heavily, silently vowed her unwillingness to comply. She knocked Dyson's arms supporting him on either side of her and, with fingers intertwined, pulled him down to rest completely on top of her.

Stunned, Dyson was in awe that Bo was able to take the lead in this dance despite her submissive position. Again, he wondered at her perfection for him. Sharply, Dyson pushed the dark secret that he kept from her into the far recesses of his mind. His mouth and tongue battled with Bo's and he growled deeply as Bo's long legs wrapped around him. Thrusting, he felt her heat and wetness envelop his member. Blindly, Dyson wondered who was claiming whom. He understood why her human partners had always died with a smile on their face.

Bo nearly shouted her pleasure as Dyson entered her. The friction, the heat…it was almost enough to drive her over the edge. Scrabbling for her last fringes of control, Bo bit down on Dyson's shoulder. A sharp nip from Dyson's own teeth was repaid on her own shoulder.

Rocking together, pushing and pulling, biting and licking…the two fey struggled to claim the role of supremacy over the other. Neither gave way. Neither surrendered. Delicate wisps of blue swirled and curled between their mouths. Fey power danced around and between them. When the climax of the battle was reached, it was attained at the same time, both shouting their simultaneous success at reaching the summit.

Panting heavily, Dyson slumped slightly and rested his warm forehead on Bo's. No words were spoken. None were needed. They both silently realized that the other was their alpha counterpart and yet they could not say the words out loud. Not yet. For now, they had to settle for enjoying what they had and hope that perhaps, in the future, their deeper feelings could be recognized.

"Stay." Dyson said. He would not ask. He could not ask. He could hope, however, that her answer would be…

"Yes." Bo replied, equally brusque in her response. She would not show her pleasure at being asked. She could not show her pleasure at being asked. She could enjoy, however, that the request had been made. "But can we move this to the bedroom?"

"In a moment." Dyson said softly, unwilling to move. He was still inside of her, their shared essence warmly shrouding him. His bite mark on Bo's shoulder was nearly gone. A faint bout of disappointment coursed through him. The idea of marking Bo as his territory thrilled him. However, it wouldn't happen as long as they continued to enjoy a sexual relationship, for she healed up during an intimate moment.

"I wonder…" He whispered. Bo squeaked as Dyson's mouth connected with her shoulder. Teeth and tongue played with a small spot of warm flesh. Bo squirmed slightly at the intensity of sensation and faintly moaned her protest when Dyson's mouth left her skin. She frowned at him staring at where his mouth had just been.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing." Dyson grinned. She would heal fast but it was nice to know that he could physically mark her. "Bedroom…round 2?"

The faint purple mark left by the were-fey's mouth disappeared soon afterwards.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Rolling over, Bo groggily opened her eyes. She reached out and placed her hand, palm down, on the rumpled sheet. The space beside her on the bed was empty, yet still warm. Dyson had not been gone long. She noticed the nearly empty glass of water on the nightstand and smiled. He always needed something to drink after their bedsport…but at least he wasn't dead.

"Hale called. I need to go to work." Dyson said, entering the room. Bo hungrily eyed his athletic form clad only in a pair of snug boxer-briefs. Giving in to temptation, Dyson crawled on top of Bo, her body still covered in the top bed sheet. He nuzzled the side of her neck. "Can you lock up before you leave?"

"Gee, trusting me to stay here…alone…unsupervised." Bo joked, enjoying the physical attention. She tried to wrap her arms around Dyson, only to find herself pinned beneath him and the thickly-woven linen.

"Don't worry, I've child-proofed the place." Dyson teased in return. "There's not much damage you can do."

"You underestimate me."

"I'm not the one pinned down."

"Maybe this is all part of my master plan."

Dyson leaned down and kissed Bo passionately. He didn't think he could be in her presence and not claim her. Her scent still drove him insane despite the previous night's activities. Again she had satisfied him as no other had and yet, in the morning, he craved more of her. He could appreciate her joke of a 'master plan' for he was already feeling himself succumbing to her. Breathing heavily, he continually altered the position of his mouth, the pressure, allowing him to taste Bo, claim her and arouse her all at the same.

Determined to not leave Bo feeling completely victorious, Dyson shifted against her slightly. Bo hummed her pleasure at the contact. She could feel Dyson's arousal stroke against her own soft heat. Her purr turned into a deeper moan as Dyson nibbled and nipped at the side of her neck, focusing on one particular soft bit of flesh. Leaning up slightly, Dyson kissed Bo lightly and hopped from the bed.

"I'll call you later." He promised before ducking out. Dyson didn't want to be near Bo when she looked in the mirror.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

"Well, the prodigal fey returns." Kenzie called out from the kitchen area, hearing Bo's shouted greeting. The younger woman walked out to greet her roommate and stopped, her mouth dropping.

"What?" Bo asked her friend-slash-teammate.

"You've…uh…got a….ummm…" Kenzie made a small circular motion with a finger against her own neck. Bo reached up to her neck with a hand. "No, other side….yeah, there. It's…ummm…well, I don't need to ask what you and wolfman got up to last night."

Frowning, Bo made her way to their shared bathroom and looked in the mirror.

~ I can't believe he did that! ~ She fumed silently, tracing the purpley-green mark on her neck. It was small, but noticeable. The green indicated that it was already starting to heal.

"Someone got a hickey! Someone got a hickey!" Kenzie sang in the frame of the bathroom's door, giving Bo a thumbs-up. "Way to go, girl! At least he marked his territory that way. Don't dogs normally pee on a tree or something?"

"I need to bring this dog into a sharp heel." Bo muttered, turning away from her reflection. "Did I miss anything last night?"

"Yeah, we got a phone call from a Mister Loco. He wants us to…" Kenzie paused, trying to recall the details. "Oh yeah!...he wants us to investigate the origins of his garden."

"Excuse me?" Bo's voiced raised in question. Starving, she made her way back to the kitchen and checked the contents of the fridge. She was totally craving bacon. Spotting a package of the salted pork on the middle shelf, along side a half-empty carton of eggs, she pulled out the food and puttered around in the kitchen.

"Yeah, that's what I said. Turns out he just bought this fancy-shmancy house and it's got a freaky garden. The statues are very strange, he says. Apparently, they're not your typical god and goddess statues but rather…modern looking. They have glasses and running shoes and hair styles that go back for several decades."

"Maybe the previous owners liked modern art." Bo suggested, busying herself at the stove.

"That's what he thought until he noticed a new statue appear yesterday. He's certain it wasn't there before. There are no tire tracks so it's not like someone drove it in…besides, who adds a statue? Wouldn't someone normally steal one?"

"How about breakfast first and then we can figure out what we'll do?" Bo suggested, her stomach growling at the smell of frying bacon wafting through the air. Kenzie nodded eagerly.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

"So, what have we got, Hale?" Dyson asked, approaching his dark-skinned teammate.

"Missing person." The male siren replied, checking his notes for more details. "Non-fey parents reported their son, Arthur Dawkins, missing a few days ago. He's seventeen. Apparently, he was hanging out in Richard's Park with some friends when that thunderstorm rolled through."

Dyson nodded, remembering the rumble of the thunder and the sparks of lightening. He also remembered thinking what it would be like to be with Bo during such a passionate display of nature. The possibilities caused his nostrils to flare slightly.

"They split up and, according to the friends, Arthur was last seen ducking into the wooded section of the forest on the path that leads down to the Millennium Pond. He hasn't been seen since."

"And we're here why?" Dyson asked, his mind still trying to find the fey link that would have resulted in having him and Hale assigned to the case.

"The pond was created for the year 2000. It's man-made…or so we want people to think. The main sponsor of the pond's creation was Gaius Grey."

"Ah. Light fey. Collector of ancient human relics." Dyson nodded. "Didn't he use something unusual for the pond's christening?"

"Yeah." Hale replied glumly. "The head of a female statue. Beautiful on one half. Snakes for hair on the other."

"A Medusa? What else do we know?"

"There have been several missing person reports over the years where this park was the last place the person was seen."

"Maybe we should pay Mister Grey a visit." Dyson suggested, his tone conveyed his desire to solve the mystery.

"And that's why we're such a great crime fighting team. I do all the leg work and you come up with the brilliant ideas." Hale rolled his eyes.

"I'm in a good mood, buddy…even your wit can't spoil it."

"Your mood wouldn't have anything to do with a certain, undeclared fey of the female persuasion, would it?"

"Ask me no questions…" Dyson started.

"And you'll tell me no lies." Hale finished.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Wow…this is quite the place. Does it have its own area code for the phone?" Kenzie asked as she and Bo pulled up to the gate in Bo's yellow and black rust-bucket of a car.

"I feel like we should be looking for the back entrance…like the hired help." Bo muttered, staring up at the turn-of-the-century brick mansion at the far end of the driveway. "What next? The gate is closed and probably locked."

"Buzzer!" Kenzie pointed at a partially ivy-covered speaker near the gate. "I'll get it." With energy and enthusiasm, Kenzie hopped out of the car.

As the smaller woman spent some time talking with a suspicious voice on the other end, Bo scanned what she could of the property through the car's windshield. The landscaping looked rather unkempt. The lawn was scraggily and the shrubs were in dire need of maintenance. Brown stalks that were once topped by colourful flowers were scattered about in mounds of dry, cracked earth.

~ I certainly hope there was some negotiating room in the selling price. ~ She thought.

The wrought-iron gates noisily began to creak open. Kenzie hopped back into the car and pointed to the mansion.

"Home, James!" She demanded.

"Don't push it." Bo grumbled, slowly easing the car past the aged entranceway to the property.

Parking in front of the mansion, Bo stepped out of the car and took in the faded white columns on the front entrance. She remembered reading somewhere that a family would display their wealth via the number of columns on the front. Bo counted six. She didn't know if that meant the family was rich or really rich, but she knew enough that the original family was probably wealthier than she.

The heavy oak doors opened and a man, around forty years old, walked out on to the front porch.

"I'm Bill Mercer." He announced cheerfully. "So glad you came!"

"Kenzie…Bo." The younger woman pointed in turn. "And how could we not when you agreed to our fee."

Bo shot a look at the bubbly woman, wondering what fee this man had agreed to pay. She had a feeling that it was more than what would have been fair.

"Should have charged him more. Dude's loaded!" Kenzie whispered to Bo, as they walked up the steps.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

"Nothing for me, Trick." Dyson waved off the offer of a drink from the Dell's gnome-like bartender. "But I'm sure Hale would love one of your special teas."

"For sure!" Hale confirmed enthusiastically. "They always soothe my voice…and ease my frayed nerves. And they're usually frayed because of him!" Hale dipped his head towards the were-fey. The broad grin on the siren's face convinced the others that there was no malicious intent behind the words, just good natured ribbing.

As Trick placed a mug of steaming herbal tea in front of Hale, he looked at Dyson. The taller fey was shaking his head at his partner.

"What's going on?" Trick asked.

"We're looking for Gaius Grey." Dyson, a man of few words, said simply.

Trick blinked, rather startled at the mention of the name. He looked around, confirming that no one was near. "Come with me. Hale, you stay and enjoy your tea."

"Yeah, I'll be the decoy." Hale muttered, inhaling the fresh herbs that made the brew. He didn't appear to be too disappointed to remain behind.

Dyson entered Trick's Tolkien-esque room and claimed a seat. Outside, he had sensed the gnome's discomfort at the name of Grey. However, the were-fey was polite enough to let Trick proceed to answer at his own pace.

Settling in a cushioned chair, Trick stared at Dyson. His normally amused face was all business.

"The last time I saw Gaius Grey was at the opening of the Millennium Pond in 2000. He was using that statue head to declare the pond and its pathways open to the public. I remember thinking that he looked pale and sick. Gaius had been a frequent customer here for many a year. Over time, I noticed his visits become more sporadic and infrequent. I missed our talks. When I heard he was the sponsor of the Pond, I had to attend the opening ceremony. His appearance stunned me. Unfortunately, he was gone before I had the chance to approach him. I haven't seen him since…or heard anything about him."

"That was ten years ago." Dyson quietly pointed out.

"A blink of an eye in fey-time."

"But enough time for many humans to have gone missing in the area." Dyson paused. "I have to ask…Would Gaius be the sort of fey to harm humans? Could he have switched sides?"

"Gaius adored humans!" Trick protested lightly. "He thought they were full of potential, an idea abhorrent to many fey, no matter which side they are on. Gaius was Light – switching would never have been considered."

"Are you sure it was simply a statue of a Medusa head that he threw into the pond?"

"Anything is possible." Trick admitted, his mouth twisting into a tight smile. "Gaius collected relics…'human trash' as the Dark calls them. It is not unlikely that he had a statue of Medusa in his collection. I don't know why he would have thrown it into the pond."

"Collectors are not known for simply tossing out a part of their collected works." Dyson mused, trying to get into Gaius Grey's head. "I know it's been ten years, but do you have any idea on where I can find this man?"

Trick nodded, smiling at the memory of his friend Gaius during better times.

"I visited him at his own home as often as he came here. He lived in a mansion outside of town. I loved the gardens he had." Trick stared daringly at Dyson. "Make a garden gnome joke and I'll…"

"Have I ever shown you anything but the utmost respect and friendship?" Dyson asked, honesty etched on his lean face.

"True." Trick conceded. "Sometimes, our talks remind me of the friendship I shared with Gaius…only he was the elder."

Leaning forward, the gnome reached out for Dyson's hands.

"When you find him…"

"If I find him." Dyson said.

"When you find him," The gnome's face was determined. "Let me know. Maybe I can help."

Nodding, Dyson stood to leave. Trick cleared his throat, giving Dyson pause.

"How are things with Bo?" Trick asked.

"Fine." Dyson replied, carefully modulating his voice.

"Of course, they are." Trick grinned. "Just be careful with her, Dyson. We need her. And we need you, as well. It will not benefit us to lose either of you."

"I don't plan on becoming lost." Dyson said simply before leaving the room. Trick followed him out.

Hale still sat at the bar, a near-finished mug of tea in front of him. He looked up at the approach of his partner and Trick. The two men appeared serious. Not for the first time, Hale wondered if there was more to Dyson and Trick than a patron-bartender relationship. The dark-skinned male siren was convinced that there was nothing sexual between the two men. Dyson had always batted for one team. But often the two shared a look that conveyed unsaid meaning and Hale wasn't sure if he enjoyed not being in on the secret.

He trusted Dyson with his life, but there were times that Hale thought Dyson was more than a fey assigned to be a police detective and the occasional guard dog for The Ashe.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

"And this is the garden I was telling you about." Bill said, his arms opening wide to the vast layout of stone pathways, fountains, shrubs, trees and statues. "The house was perfect enough for me to put an offer in, but this garden really drew my attention. The previous owner said the statues would remain behind."

"What can you tell us about the previous owner?" Bo asked, stepping over a large branch that had blown across the patio.

"Not much, really." Bill confessed. "He was an older man, rather sick looking. And he had the most unusual name…Gaius Grey."

A faint alarm started to ring in Bo's head. An old-fashioned name. An older man. This was all beginning to smell of the fey. She shared a knowing look with Kenzie.

"Most gardens," Bill continued the grand tour. "Would have statues of a Greek or Roman theme. Gods and goddess even. An Athena here. A Zeus there. But no…I have these."

The trio stopped before a statue of a man wearing work boots and suspenders. A hard hat was carried in his hands.

"Yeah, you don't see too many statues of those blue collar types." Kenzie offered.

"You mentioned there was a new one?" Bo asked.

"This way." Bill started to walk again. The group passed statues of a woman in a poodle skirt, a young man with beads around his neck and round glasses perched atop his nose, a woman with poufy hair and an old-style portable music device strapped at her hip, a woman in a business suit carrying a briefcase…after a while, Bo stopped processing the statues that came across as a 'history of fashion' display.

"Here we go." Bill stopped. Bo took in the statue of a young man wearing what appeared to be jeans and light jacket. "It appeared two days ago. I've been out here a lot, looking at the statues. I'm certain this one wasn't here before. There were no tracks or other signs of a disturbance. No one could have driven the statue here."

Kenzie looked up.

"If it had been flown in by helicopter, the leaves would have blown away." Bill said. Bo looked at him, a dark eyebrow raised in surprise. "I like those crime solving shows."

Bo managed to not roll her eyes.

"I know this is really rude of me to ask…" Kenzie started.

"Which means, she's going to ask it anyway." Bo explained to Bill.

Kenzie stuck her tongue out at Bo.

"What do you do for job? I mean, single guy buying this place on his own…you are single, aren't you?"

Bill smiled.

"Yes, I'm single. I had my own computer security company and sold it for a nice profit. Until I know what I want to do next, I thought that I'd buy a nice house and fix it up. This place fit the bill nicely."

"I can see that." Bo replied, her foot toying with a weed in the grass as she scanned the rather abandoned-like state of the garden.

"I have a plan to repair and upgrade everything." Bill said, trying to convince the women that he didn't want to live like a hermit in a secluded, dilapidated mansion. "This place is too cliché for my liking. The plan, including a timeline, costs, and priorities, is posted in my office and takes up nearly one whole wall."

"That, I have GOT to see." Kenzie commanded.

"Is there anything beside the statues that's unusual about this place?" Bo asked on their way back to the large house.

"Like any old place, there are creaks and groans at night. I'm sure it's just the wood floors and probably some cracks in the bricks."

"Did you have the place inspected before you bought?"

"Of course!" Bill protested lightly, opening the patio doors for the women. They followed him into a large room filled with book shelves that were more or less empty. He pointed at the far wall.

Kenzie stepped up to a massive print out. Sure enough, it contained a "to do" list for the house, including budgeted costs, priorities, links between items like retrofitting the kitchen for natural gas before installing new appliances, including a natural gas stove.

A hand decked out with dark nail polish feebly covered a large yawn.

Bo, on the other hand, wandered over to a set of dark shelves where a book lay.

"Have you seen this?" She asked Bill.

"Yes, but I haven't looked it." There was faint yet brief buzzing noise in the room. "Excuse me…someone else is here."

"Talk about slightly on the anal retentive side." Kenzie said, thumbing the plan on the wall. "I'm surprised he hasn't listed when to go to the bathroom and how many squares of toilet paper to use."

"This is a book on Greek mythology." Bo said, ignoring Kenzie's insult towards their host-slash-client. Picking up the large tome, the female fey flipped through the delicate pages. A folded piece of yellowed-paper fell to the ground.

"Gee, didn't see that one coming." Kenzie rolled her eyes.

Bo placed the book back on the shelf and carefully unfolded the paper. It was an unmarked map with various small x's placed about in a seemingly random pattern.

"The topography doesn't match this area." Bo pointed out.

"And there's only like hundreds of treed areas in the city." Kenzie said.

"There's a faint pattern here…like a blob or something."

"It's always the ominous blob." Kenzie sighed dramatically.

Male voices reached the ears of the ladies in the make-shift office. Quickly, Bo refolded the paper and tucked it inside her jacket.

"Turns out there may be another mystery related to this house or, rather its previous occupant." Bill announced as he entered the room followed by two men. Neither looked happy.

"Wow…what a surprise seeing the two of you here." Hale intoned.

"And we're thrilled to see both of you, as well." Kenzie shot back.

"Dyson." "Bo." The two exchanged names at the same time.

"Well, don't I feel like the fifth wheel." Bill joked. "You all seem to know each other."

"What are you doing here?" Dyson asked Bo.

"Mr. Mercer has a mystery in his garden." Bo said simply. "You?"

"We're looking for the previous owner of this house." Was the response.

"Why?"

"You know we can't say." Hale protested, hoping his partner would remain silent. When it came to this woman, Dyson seemed to lose all of his good sense. "What's the mystery in the garden?"

"Now why would I breach my client's confidentiality?" Bo narrowed her eyes at Hale. She liked the man, truly she did. But she could sense his difficulty with her and that put her on edge.

"But what if there's a connection between the two cases?" Bill asked. "Maybe you could work together."

"Who died and made you the United Nations?" Kenzie asked, scowling at their client.

"He has a point." Dyson admitted. Hale rolled his eyes.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Bo acknowledged. "If we find a link, we'll let you know."

"Likewise." Hale retorted.

"We were just leaving. We'll be in touch, Mr. Mercer." Bo smiled at her client. He blushed faintly at the attention. Dyson's fists clenched as jealously coursed through him. Hale noticed the flare of the nostrils and subtly placed a hand on his partner's back. He could feel the tension in Dyson's back, radiating outwards as Bo brushed past him.

Even after the women had left, Dyson's posture remained uptight.

"When a property is transferred from one person to another, doesn't the paper trail indicate the current address of the sellee?" Dyson asked Bill, his voice cold. The urge to punch the man for responding to Bo's smile hadn't lessened.

Bill blinked, uncertain at the sudden hostility.

"Normally, but all that information is with the lawyers. I can give you my lawyer's contact information, but whether or not he'll be able to share Mister Grey's…well…I don't know."

Hale thanked Bill as the man wrote down his lawyer's address and phone number.

"Did you want to tell us about your garden mystery, by any chance?" He asked smoothly, gently. His voice was almost melodic. Bill stared at Hale's mouth, unable to look away. Slowly, as if in a dream, Bill began to speak.


	4. Chapter 4

[Author's Note - I am trying to actually incorporate a little of a fey mystery in here along with the Bo/Dyson relationship and, of course, Bo's history...hence there will be chapters like the last one.]

**Chapter 4**

The Dell was in full swing when Bo and Kenzie entered. Bo wondered if the place ever experienced a lull in business while side-stepping around a solidly-built man. He grunted at Bo before snarling at Kenzie.

"She's mine." Bo said simply. The large man grunted again and turned his back to the two women.

"Troll." Trick said as way of explanation from his box behind the bar when the women reached the long wooden counter.

"I thought they only had one eye and lived under bridges that billy goats wanted to cross over." Kenzie quipped.

"That would be trolls in the mountainous north regions." Trick replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Kenzie stared at him in disbelief. Everything she had been told as child…all those stories…were slowly becoming fact with each passing day.

"Place is busy tonight." Bo observed.

"That's usually a good thing." Trick replied, shrugging as he dried a glass. "Are you looking for a little more elbow room?"

"That would be nice." Bo smiled sweetly.

"Your tricks won't work on me." The gnome bartender pointed out, ignoring the irony in his comment.

"Maybe I'm smiling to be friendly and polite."

"That would be a first." Kenzie remarked.

"It's not too late for me to tie you up to the pole out front like a dog. No one here would comment on that."

Kenzie's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't!" The human woman protested.

Bo shrugged and turned back to Trick. Grinning, the gnome pointed out a booth in the back. It was usually empty, Bo remembered, unless Dyson was in the area. She arched an eyebrow at the small man.

"It's my private booth. I reserve it for my friends."

Dark eyes widened slightly at the compliment and this time the smile was genuine. Nodding her appreciation, Bo made her way across the room and entered the semi-private sitting area. She settled into the chair, making sure she faced the opening. Perhaps it was paranoia, believing that a threat could walk in at any time. Perhaps it was hope, desiring Dyson to walk in at any time. Either way, it was the more advantageous seat in the area. If Kenzie noticed, she didn't comment, choosing instead to plunk herself down rather unceremoniously into one of the other chairs.

Moments later, Trick arrived carrying two glass mugs of something amber in colour and frothy on top.

"It's a special brew from the east. Just came in today. Let me know what you think of it."

As quietly as he had approached, Trick disappeared from view. Bo took a sip of the brew and enjoyed the light bit of carbonation.

"Flavour bubbles." She observed, noting her appreciation. Reaching in to her jacket, Bo pulled out the yellowed paper she had taken from Bill Mercer's office. True, she didn't have his permission, but something in the fey said this was linked to the garden of statues. She looked up at Kenzie, inviting the human woman to lean forward. "Any idea where this could be?"

There was a heavy, deep dramatic sigh, distinctly on the unhappy side. Bo looked up and observed Dyson leaning on the frame of the partial wall that separated the booth from the rest of the bar's patrons. So much for the most advantageous seat.

"Why do I have a horrible feeling that you two are up to no good?" He asked, no smile on his face.

"Because you think you know us." Kenzie volunteered. "Where's your shadow?"

"Having a life. Shouldn't you have one?" Dyson moved in closer. While his question was to Kenzie, his light eyes never wavered from soaking up Bo. He sniffed her delicate scent outside of the bar and, despite all of the bodies and drinks, as soon as he had entered The Dell, he knew immediately she was nearby.

The spunky woman looked back and forth between the two fey and reached a decision pretty quickly.

"Yeah. Maybe I should try to find one tonight." Kenzie guzzled back her beer and stood up. "You two kids behave."

"Define 'behave'." Dyson asked, a knowing smile directed at Bo. She returned it.

"Never mind. Just…just…oh hell, I'm outta here." Kenzie grabbed her shoulder bag and slowly meandered her way out of the bar.

Leaning over Bo, Dyson whispered, "I hope you don't mind that I wanted her gone." He licked the shell of Bo's ear, causing the woman to shiver delicately.

"I'll manage without her." Bo murmured. "But why did you want her gone?"

"So that I could do this without her cheering us on." Dyson moved his mouth from Bo's ear to her mouth. Hungrily, he nibbled on her mouth encouraging her lips to open. On a sigh, Bo's mouth parted and his tongue boldly entered. Gripping the arms of the chair, Bo pushed herself up into the were-fey, soaking up his body heat through her own leather jacket. Her breathing increased and Bo thought her heart would beat out of control. His own arms braced on the sides of the chair, Dyson pushed against Bo. She lifted one hand to his shoulder, encouragingly squeezing him to keep up his kiss. The other hand snaked around to the back of his neck, toying and tugging with strands of his red-gold hair. Dyson pushed Bo back into the soft, plush cushions of the chair, growling his desire for the succubus fey.

"Do I need to break out the water hose on you two?"

Splitting apart, the two fey looked over to see Trick standing near by.

Bo, attempting to regain her breath, panted at Dyson, "You got rid of Kenzie…you didn't think about him, did you?"

"I thought he had better manners than this." Dyson sulked mildly, brushing past Bo and claiming the seat beside her. Leaning forward, Dyson took a sip of the amber brew in front of Bo and raised an eyebrow at Trick. "New?"

"Just in. Thought you might like it, so I brought you a pint." A mischievous grin crossed Trick's face. "It's a good thing that many of the old ways have been forgotten, but be thankful no one saw that except for me."

"What are you talking about?" Bo asked.

"You just shared a drink. You've had a sip from your mug. Dyson just took one. There is an old tradition that would mean the two of you are now married."

Bo started to choke, her eyes wide. "M…m…married?"

"I'm glad the idea of it holds so much appeal for you." Dyson lamented, mockingly clutching at his heart. He tried not to laugh at Bo's head whipping around to face him, disbelief etched on it.

"Should I tell the bar that the two of you are committed?" Trick asked playfully.

"Not unless _you_ want to be committed to the intensive care unit at the hospital." Bo threatened. She leaned back in the chair, her head turning side-to-side to look at each man. "So, hypothetically speaking, however, what would happen if we were to…you know…commit?"

Dyson leaned forward and clasped one of Bo's hands. He could feel her heart racing, her blood pounding through her veins. Even her scent had changed in a subtle manner…he couldn't quite place it.

"You would have declared a side…my side."

"What? How? After the Test, I claimed the side of humans."

"But by committing to a Light fey, you then chose the side of Light, as well." Trick explained. "Light and Dark fey can not mix. It is…forbidden."

"It's one reason why you are so highly desired by other fey. You are their chance to experience something outside of their own side." Dyson said, his blue eyes intensely focused on Bo.

"Oh, so that's what I am…a freakish novelty." Bo couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice, despite their arrangement to keep it strictly at the 'friends with benefits' level.

"No." Dyson increased his grip on Bo, almost painfully. "You are more. You are…you."

"Gee, don't go all sentimental and romantic on me, Dyson." Bo rolled her eyes. Shifting slightly in an attempt to dispel the concentrated stare from Dyson, Bo looked at Trick. "So, what's up with the rule on Light-with-Light and Dark-with-Dark?"

"As I mentioned, our two sides have been on the brink of war for a very long time. For there to be intermingling, we run the risk of the other side learning our ways, our strategies, our weaknesses. Not to mention, if there are children. A child would need to select Light or Dark…one parent over the other. Or, worse, one side could perhaps use the child as a weapon on the other." There was a knowing look Trick's eyes, as if he was leaving something unsaid.

"But let's face it…there have been children born out of Light and Dark relationships…right?" Bo asked.

"No." Trick was serious. "Not to our knowledge. The rules are not to be broken."

"But…" Bo prompted.

Trick held up his hand, stopping Bo. He looked at Dyson and then back to Bo.

"The rules are not to be broken." He repeated and walked away.

"Did I do something wrong?" Bo asked, turning to Dyson.

Raising Bo's hand to his mouth, he gently kissed it. "No. You did nothing wrong."

"There are so many rules, Dyson. How am I to learn them and survive?"

"You pick one side and then others of your side would help you…guide you…"

"…rule me." Bo's mouth puckered in distaste. "No, thank you."

Sighing, Dyson released his grip on Bo's hand and leaned back into his chair. Idly, one of his feet toyed with the nearest of Bo's feet.

"So, when I walked in…" He started, attempting to move back to a less contentious topic.

"Yes, you caught us up to no good." Bo nodded, thankful for the discussion change. There was something so tumultuous about the ways of the fey. Despite not declaring a side, Bo knew she still needed to learn them if only to be aware of any boundaries she might cross.

"I knew it!" Dyson laughed. "Any luck with solving the case of the unknown statue?" His laugh deepened at the look of shock on Bo's face.

"How did you…"

"Hale can be…convincing when he chooses to be."

"Well, that's not fair!"

"In the human world, perhaps not…but in the world of the fey…" Dyson shrugged.

Huffing, Bo looked at the unfolded paper on the table.

"I…uhhh…took this from Bill Mercer's place."

"Speaking of not fair." Dyson murmured.

"It fell out of a book on Greek mythology that was sitting on one of his office shelves.."

"Interesting." Dyson's voice conveyed boredom. Meanwhile, his mind was racing. Greek mythology. A Medusa head. Statues. Could it be something as simple as this? Well, simple to understand, difficult to solve. Gaius Grey was still missing.

Sighing lightly, Bo pointed at the map. "So this is what fell out. It's a map. Despite the paper's yellow state, I don't think it's that old. Maybe just exposed to dampness or something has aged it prematurely."

Dyson took in the map. "It looks like Richard's Pond."

"I'm not familiar with that area."

"It's a park on west side of town. It's also the last place where several missing people were last seen over the years."

"This is connected to Gaius Gray somehow, isn't it." Bo closed her eyes, her mind knowing the answer already.

"I think so." Dyson confirmed. He explained the origins of the pond, the Medusa head and the missing young man.

"Did you go into the garden at Bill's place?"

"Yes. I'm fairly certain that the newest addition is Arthur Dawkins."

"Oh god." Bo breathed. "Is he stuck like that? Permanently? And the others?"

"I don't know yet."

"Kenzie is good at research." Bo noted Dyson's look of uncertainty. "She is! And being new to this world, she won't make assumptions that your Hale might make. Maybe she could dig up something on Medusa."

"Let's discuss strategy tomorrow. For now, how about we go back to my place." Dyson suggested. As much as he wanted to work on the case, he didn't think The Dell was the most suitable place for any of this to be discussed.


	5. Chapter 5

[NRPG - On my 'To Do' list are two housekeeping items. (1) Change 'fey' to 'fae'...can I blame Word that didn't put a red-squiggle underneath my spelling? *g* (2) Change 'Kenzie' to 'Kenzi'...as someone whose name is constantly mispelled, I heartily apologize despite her fictional nature. That being said, RL has me off to tour much of the mid-west US over the next week or so. This will allow me time to work on the story - while sitting in airports galore - but not sure what my internet access will be like. - R]

**Chapter 5**

"Remind me again why we're at your place and not mine? Not that I'm adverse to receiving some preventive maintenance." Bo rolled over and traced doodle-like patterns over Dyson's bare chest. The top sheet had been pushed off the bed and was currently crumpled up on the floor.

"I can't do my Tarzan yell if we're at your place." Dyson grabbed Bo's hand and started to gently suck on her fingertips.

"Me, Dyson. You, Bo." The female succubus mocked lightly. "Does that routine work with all the women?"

"You're in my bed, aren't you?"

Bo languidly ran her leg up Dyson's prone body. Her toned thigh connected with his eager member.

"Looks like someone's ready to swing from the trees again."

"Gotta love wild monkey sex." He laughed.

"Really? I would have thought you'd prefer…"

"Don't say it." Dyson warned.

"Doggie style." Bo whooped in laughter as Dyson rolled on top of her and easily flipped her over. None to lightly, he slapped her bare bottom.

"I told you not to say that." He growled.

Bo couldn't stop laughing. "It was too easy to pass up!"

Leaning down, Dyson ran kisses up Bo's spine before reaching the top of the thin vertebrae. He pushed her thick, dark hair out of the way and promptly bit down on the back of her neck.

"Hey!" She protested, squirming.

"You were warned." Dyson threatened. "Punishment must be meted out."

"Is that a promise or a threat?" Bo moaned.

"Both." Dyson's voice dropped. He nipped Bo's ear. Reaching around, he fondled one of her breasts none too lightly. Judging by her groans, Bo didn't appear to mind. Dyson ran a hand lightly down Bo's sides and slipped it between her legs. He forced Bo down by the small of her back when she tried to arch up in to his hands.

"No. My rules. That's your punishment."

Bo shivered. She wasn't certain if she was going to like this. Yet, a tiny part of her knew that Dyson wouldn't hurt her. Curious to see what Dyson was doing, Bo started to turn her head.

"No." Dyson commanded, firmly holding her head in place. He looked around…nothing was within reach except…

"Oh what the hell." He muttered, grabbing a pillow that was teetering on the edge of the bed. Confidently, he ripped the linen, throwing the unwanted portions into a far corner. Dyson unhurriedly took the long swath of fabric and covered Bo's eyes. He knotted the fabric behind her head, being careful to not tangle any strands of her hair in the fabric bind.

"What are you doing?" Bo's voice hinted at her uncertainty to this new position. It was one thing to pretend submission but this…

"This will allow you to…feel more…sense more…enjoy more…" Dyson promised, his voice low and cajoling. He watched as goosebumps appeared on his lover's arms, the fine dark hairs rising with each tiny bit of flesh. Licking his lips, Dyson inclined slightly and formed a small 'o' with his mouth. Warm breath caressed the flesh on Bo's arms and she exhaled slowly, allowing her own soft exhalation to blend and merge with Dyson's. The were-fae was certain he saw coloured moist air blending and twisting just above Bo's skin.

Starting at the nape of Bo's neck, Dyson rained gentle kisses and nibbles leisurely down the succubus's spine before, bit by bit, making the trek back up. Easily, the were-fae allowed his warm, raspy tongue to stroke each arm down to the tips of Bo's fingers, only to return on an equally hot path. Again, he worked his way down Bo's back, feeling her taut muscles, however instead of the gentle kisses he had bestowed earlier, Dyson placed shallow, rapid nips in a zig-zag pattern. Bo groaned her frustration. Dyson grinned when he spotted Bo's hands clenching handfuls of pillows. He hummed calmly, almost wishing he had Hale's siren abilities.

Dyson's tongue darted quickly into the top of the cleft of Bo's clenched rear. Feeling that hot, damp member caused the woman to tighten her muscles even more. Bo called out Dyson's name, her voice higher in pitch than normal. The were-fae smiled his pleasure at the passionate torment his lover was experiencing. Knowing that Bo's nerves were at a heightened state, Dyson opted to take a gentle approach as his mouth crossed down the back of one thigh and leg. Shifting his position, Dyson used one finger to keep tormenting Bo's hot folds as his kisses explored. Moving back up with his mouth, Dyson switched over to her other leg, never ceasing his actions with his hands.

Bo trembled, feeling Dyson's mouth leisurely make a hot, wet path back up her leg and along her spine. His finger slowly rotated just inside her folds, both teasing and tormenting her. Panting for breath, Bo listened as Dyson would occasionally shift position on the bed and she could hear her own legs moving slightly, trying to give her lover more access for his hand. He did not cooperate and that frustrated the succubus. Soft scruff reached the nape of her neck and Bo felt Dyson bite down on the tender flesh.

"Can't ignore the other side." He whispered passionately. Reaching out, Dyson rolled Bo over, ensuring the fabric was still securely covering her eyes. Convinced that she was still blind to his actions, Dyson leaned down and nibbled on Bo's mouth.

Whimpering, Bo opened her mouth inviting Dyson's tongue to dance with her own. Again, he refused to cooperate, opting instead to let his tongue skim along her teeth and lips. A soft growl escaped from deep inside of Bo.

Bo angled her head, feeling the bed tilt and dip slightly.

"Where are you going?" She asked, a hand reaching up for her blindfold.

"Ah ah ah!" Dyson cautioned. "I didn't say you could take it off. I'll be back in a moment. I promise."

Pouting, Bo waited. She strained her ears, trying to identify the sounds she heard. Glass on a hard surface. A gentle thud of something. Plastic or foil being unwrapped. Twisting noise. A tender but brief pop. And then nothing but Dyson's footfalls returning to the bed room.

The man sat on the edge of the bed and Bo reached out, her hand making contact with a taut thigh, covered in wiry hair. Moving up slightly, a grin crossed Bo's face.

"Mmmm…still naked." She purred.

Exhaling a soft laugh, Dyson held something under Bo's nose.

"What do you smell?" He asked.

"Fruit…spice…wine?"

"Very good. I think it will be a very nice pairing." The were-fae's voice was knowing.

"Pairing?" Bo asked, confused. "With what?"

"You." Dyson took a small mouthful of the wine and claimed Bo's mouth again. The cool liquid battled with his body's warmth, and Bo welcomed both. Wine flowed between them, along with wispy tendrils of blue power. Bo reached up to pull Dyson closer. He happily complied. This was getting out of hand…this 'friends with benefits' but he was almost beyond caring. Bo was like a drug of the most addictive nature. He couldn't wait for more of her

~ I want him! ~ Bo's mind nearly cried out. ~ Almost enough to…commit. ~

Pushing himself back, Dyson took one more sip of the wine before placing the bottle on the nightstand. Bo moved her head, trying to gauge what he would do next. Nothing prepared her for the wild sensations of his warm mouth and the cool wine on her breast. Dyson's faintly raspy tongue stroked the dusky nub before suckling gently. Bo's hands whipped out and held Dyson's head firmly in place. Her back arched, trying to find that perfect angle. Dyson's hand stroked Bo's side, in an effort to soothe her, but it only made the succubus hold him more firmly.

"Tell me you want this." Dyson ordered.

"I want this." Bo said quietly.

"Tell me you want me." He commanded.

Bo nodded.

"Say it!" Dyson barked.

"I want you." Bo's skin flushed, but not with shame, rather desire. Her body was nearly screaming out for the were-fae. It was insanity of the most pleasurable sort.

Dyson's blue eyes darkened in satisfaction. Even if Bo did not declare a side, the fact that she wanted him was creating a bond between them, tying her, if only slightly, to the Light. He tipped the bottle back against his lips, enjoying the strong wine as it trickled down his throat. One last sip, without swallowing, and the blue eyes glinted at what he was about to do. Shifting further down the bed, Dyson parted Bo's legs.

"Dyson?" Bo called out. She received only a hummed response. "What are….GAH! Oh! My! God! That's! Oh! Wow!"

Dyson detected Bo's pleasure in her scent. It was all around him…he could breathe her in, he could taste her, he could feel her. His tongue darted in and out, pairing up the ruby-coloured wine with Bo's dark pink folds. He was right. The pairing was spectacular. Drinking Bo's wetness in along with the last bits of wine in his mouth, Dyson's tongue stroked and laved Bo. He knew that he would never forget her scent or taste. Even if they parted ways. Even if there were future lovers. Bo's essence would remain with him forever. The were-fae refused to think about what that meant.

Toned thighs tried to clamp against Dyson's head, but he held them back with his hands. Bo's breaths became more rapid and shallow, as her legs struggled against his hands. Dyson could feel Bo's muscles quivering underneath him. A loud, keening noise reached his ears just as Bo's body became rigid. Not stopping his oral ministrations, Dyson waited until he felt the succubus's muscles relax from exhaustion. Grinning, Dyson's mouth and soft scruff slowly, leisurely worked their way up Bo's stomach and breasts. When he reached her face, Dyson gently kissed Bo, knowing she needed a few minutes to recover. Caringly, he removed the strip of fabric covering Bo's eyes. Slowly, Bo opened her brown eyes and blinked up at Dyson.

"Hey." She whispered.

"Hey back." Dyson smiled tenderly. His blue eyes shone warmly. "You okay?"

"I think I know how my human partners felt before I…you know." Bo's voice was weak.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Oh god, yeah." Bo laughed feebly. "Wine?"

Reaching out, Dyson grabbed the wine bottle and passed it to Bo. She took a sip and nodded in appreciation. When Dyson had kissed her, she could taste herself. And now there was the wine.

"I do pair up nicely with this."

Dyson barked out a laugh.

"Now what about you?" Bo asked, all false innocence and naivety.

"Me?" Dyson echoed, returning the bottle to the nightstand after taking a sip.

"You." Bo leaned up on her elbows, only to be pushed back down.

"How about you get some rest and then make it up to me when your energy is back." Came the suggestion. Dyson rolled completely off Bo and opened his arms, inviting her into his embrace. It was eagerly accepted.

It was only moments later that deep breaths rumbled out from beneath a curtain of dark hair. Dyson smiled at Bo's ease of falling asleep with him.

~ Job well done, man. ~ His ego complimented himself.

"We'll talk in the morning about the case." Dyson said softly, closing his own eyes and allowing sleep to claim him, as well.


	6. Chapter 6

[NRPG - Home for 48 hours, which gives me time to do laundry, saddle up the dog for a long walk or two, and publish this next chapter. Thanks for the reviews, folks! I appreciate them!]

**Chapter 6**

The mildly bitter aroma of fresh coffee reached Dyson's nose, causing it to twitch slightly as he inhaled his first deep breath of the morning. Rolling over, he pouted faintly at finding Bo not as his side.

~ Let's not go there. ~ His mind suggested. ~ You can't think of her in that way. ~

_Yet._ There was a soft whispering voice from somewhere in the back of his mind.

"Good morning, sexy." A gentle teasing voice caused Dyson to open his eyes. He smiled seeing Bo wearing one of his shirts, only the bottom few buttons were done up allowing him a teasing view of Bo's chest. "All set to get to work?"

"Fetch me some coffee first."

"Excuse me?" Bo arched a dark eyebrow. "Isn't fetching more your thing?"

"Don't make me repeat last night's punishment." Dyson's voice dropped to a warning tone, belied by the dance in his light eyes.

"Oh yes, anything but that." Bo shivered dramatically, grinning her nonexistent fear. "Coffee's ready…come and get it. Come, boy!"

Bo slapped her exposed thighs lightly and laughed as Dyson hopped out of bed, lunging for her. The two ran into the kitchen, temporarily forgetting about statues and the magical unknown.

"You know," Dyson said quietly, a while later, his long fingers wrapped around a warm mug of coffee, "Perhaps Kenzi and Hale could work on researching the Medusa. Trick has a library filled with old books. There may be something in there that could help us. I'd suggest Trick, as well, but his absence from the bar would be noticed."

Bo nodded in agreement. "And just what will _we_ do while our two friends play at being bookworms?"

"Look for Gaius Grey." Dyson replied simply. "How difficult can it be for him to hide? He's old and sick. He'll need medication."

"He's fae so we're not going to find him at the local drug store, right?"

Dyson nodded. "And despite being Light, he won't come to us, either."

"So…? That leaves…?" Bo prompted.

"The Shadows."

"And for those of us who don't speak fluent Fae?" Bo resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"The Shadows is the fringe of Fae society." Dyson explained. "Unlike The Dell, where Light and Dark mingle peacefully, the Shadows is an area where Light and Dark mingle without any rules to keep them in line."

"Sounds…dangerous." Bo mused.

"It is. No rules except to uphold that which makes their own sides. However, the rules can…bend."

"The Shadows is beginning to sound more and more like my kind of place." A gleam entered Bo's eyes.

"Which is why I haven't told you about it until now. I _knew_ you'd feel that way." Dyson shook his head sadly. "The only good part about The Shadows is that I can protect you there. I can go anywhere, even if there are more Dark than Light."

"Who says I need protection?" Bo protested.

This time, a reddish-blonde eyebrow was raised.

"Okay, so I have a tendency to find myself in trouble…occasionally." The succubus conceded.

"Occasionally?" Dyson's tone was incredulous. "I've had to start buying energy drinks in bulk so that I can function normally afterwards."

"Speaking of," A frown crossed Bo's face. "What happened last night? I mean there was some transfer but…"

"You didn't need anything…we just had sex."

"Just sex." Bo rolled the two words around and grimaced.

"Problem with that?"

"Nope. No problem here." Placing her mug down on the counter none to gently, Bo left the kitchen. Dyson sighed. A few minutes later, Bo reentered, fully dressed. She flicked her hair out of her jacket. "I'll have Kenzi call Hale and they can figure out where to start in Trick's library. I'm sure you have some normal police stuff to take care of to start your day. Let me know when you'd like to start and where."

And with that, Bo dashed out of Dyson's apartment, leaving the were-fae leaning up against the kitchen counter, still cradling his rapidly cooling mug of coffee. He knew there was nothing to say; any words that came out of his mouth would only aggravate Bo more and potentially ruin their arrangement. As much as he knew the rules were there to protect them both, he wished he could violate them. Silently, he watched Bo leave, wishing he could say the words that they both wanted to hear.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

"So this is what a library looks like." Kenzi looked around the large room, her voice decidedly unimpressed. "Smells musty."

"I wasn't exactly expecting guests down here." Trick muttered, picking up an empty mug with a faint patch of muck growing in the bottom. He looked slightly embarrassed at the state of the room.

"Doing a science experiment in here, too?" Kenzi asked, tipping the mug so that she could see into it.

Trick grunted a response and pulled the mug closer to his chest.

"Where are we supposed to start?" Hale asked, his eyes taking in all the books. "Don't supposed these are in alphabetical order?"

"No." Trick replied. "My library is not usually made open to the public. Its order is rather…chaotic. That being said, you may want to start over in the section by the large globe. The books over there deal with the links between our world and that of humans."

"Thanks." Hale smiled his appreciation.

"Since Bo's not here," Trick looked pointedly at Kenzi, "She's _your_ responsibility."

"Hey, I'm housebroken and stopped chewing on the furniture last month." Kenzi protested. "I'm getting tired of you folks thinking I'm a … …."

"Pet?" Hale offered.

"I was going to say a lower being." Kenzi sulked. "If I had a squeak toy, I'd throw it at you."

"I need to get back upstairs." Trick said. "I'll bring down some refreshments for you later. In the meantime, please don't leave this room. There are other rooms down here that you aren't ready to see."

"Uh…bathroom?" Kenzi asked.

"Through those doors." Trick pointed to set of solid doors across the room. He walked back to the entrance of the library. "Good luck."

Watching the gnome leave, Hale turned back to face Kenzi. "Ready to get your geek on?"

"Bring it, dweeb." Kenzi skipped over to the section of books behind the large globe. "You're taller, you get the top shelves."

"Sounds good to me, runt." Hale grabbed a book and started to flip though the pages.

"You know, we could make this interesting." A mischievous smile lit up Kenzi's face.

"I'm listening." Came the reply from the siren.

"Strip research."

"Say again?"

"For each book we go through and find nothing, we remove an article of clothing."

"There's more books here than we have clothing on."

"Speak for yourself, freaky fae. I'm all about layers. What are you?...chicken?" Kenzi started making clucking sounds.

Hale sighed heavily. As much as his inner imp wished to give in to Kenzi's taunts, there were a lot of books and he knew that at some point Trick would return more than likely to find both of them naked. The gnome bartender was having a difficult enough time trying to grasp the concept of Bo and Dyson; seeing Hale and Kenzi without clothes on would more than likely shock all good sense out of Trick.

"Just keep looking. Who knows how much time we have?" Hale said.

"Party pooper." It was Kenzi's turn to sigh.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

"How do we get to The Shadows?" Bo asked, sitting in the passenger seat of Dyson's car, her feet propped up on the dash. "I have a feeling I'm not going to find it on any normal map."

"The Shadows nearest to us is in the suburbs east of town."

"Nearest to us?"

"Every large city has their own Shadows." Dyson explained. "It's kind of like how each city has an area of high crime."

"So, The Shadows is like the fae ghetto?" Bo chuckled and started to hum the Elvis song 'In The Ghetto'.

The car ride passed in silence, Dyson expediently zipping in and out of traffic without calling extra attention to their fast moving vehicle. Although, Bo realized that if they were stopped, perhaps Dyson's status on the police force would get them out of any traffic tickets. Then again, they were doing this rather 'off-line' so perhaps his police ranking would do them no good.

"You're quiet." Dyson said finally, turning off the stereo.

"Not much to say."

"About last night…"

"We're friends, Dyson. No more. I had fun."

Dyson tried not to wince at the short sentences.

"If this 'friends with benefits' isn't working for you…"

"Would you rather I found someone else to help me out?" Bo asked, turning to face the man at the wheel.

"No!" Dyson said, more sharply than he intended.

"Why?"

Dyson paused. He knew why…all the reasons why. Yet, he couldn't share all of them with Bo.

"I'd like to keep an eye on you." He said finally. "I'd rather it was me rather than someone from the Dark."

"So, it's purely strategic?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"How cryptic of you."

Silence again reigned in the car.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

Silence greeted Trick as he entered the library carrying a tray loaded with beverages and food.

"No luck yet?" He asked, taking in the stacks and piles of books strewn about his library floor. "Uh, you two are going to put those all back, right?"

Hale had the good grace to look embarrassed at the mess.

"We've come close a few times, snippets here and there, but it's all been the same."

"Yeah," Kenzi piped up, snapping her large tome shut in disgust. "Medusa…snakes…don't look at…turns folks into stone. Same thing over and over and over."

A look of understanding crossed Trick's face as he placed the tray on his desk.

"For all of your ancient, all-knowing status, I'm disappointed in our lack of finding something." Kenzi continued.

"I don't think we ever said we were all-knowing." Trick protested mildly.

"You certainly act like it." Kenzi scowled, tossing the book on to the floor.

"Hey! A little respect for my belongings would be nice." Trick rebuked the young woman.

Ignoring the gnome, Kenzi started to make her way through yet another book. Giving Trick a _what-did-you-expect-from-a-human_ look, Hale wandered over to the tray and began to pour himself some tea.

"No thanks. None for me. Thanks for offering though." Kenzi said without looking up.

Hale refused to rise to the bait. He sensed that this insolent attitude was simply Kenzi's way of expressing her frustration at their lack of success.

"Chicks." Was all he said to Trick.

"You can have her." The gnome muttered, leaving the duo to continue their research.

"It wouldn't hurt you to show a little more respect to Trick." Hale said softly, taking a sip of the hot tea.

"Yeah, just like all that respect you folks show me." Kenzi muttered.

"Actually, we show you a lot." Hale said. "We don't let many humans into our world."

"So all those references to my being a pet and my housetraining are what?...tough love? You're mean because you care?"

Hale was uncertain how to respond. For a man that usually knew what to say to women and how to appeal to them, Kenzi seemed to be oblivious to his charms…unless he was using his fae abilities.

"Hey, how long has our boy been stoned?" Kenzi's voice broke through the awkward silence.

"A few days." Hale looked over at the woman. "Why? Find something?"

"Maybe." Kenzi carried the tome over to the desk and gently placed it on the smooth surface. Hale noticed the more respectful treatment of the book; whether it was due to his words sinking in or Kenzi being pleased that she might have discovered something, he didn't know. A fingernail, decked out in a deep black polish, pointed out a section of calligraphy written beside a picture that Hale immediately recognized as Medusa.

Quickly, Hale scanned the information and nodded.

"Great job, Kenzi!" He cheered, reaching an arm out and pulling Kenzi into an embrace. Peeking up through her black bangs, Kenzi grinned at the siren, her face flushed with pride.

"Not bad for a normal human, right?" She asked, no malice in her voice.

"Yeah, not bad at all." Hale agreed, ruffling Kenzi's smooth hair. "I'll let Dyson know we found something. We can meet up later and compare notes. In the meantime, we still have a little bit of leg work to do by the looks of things."

Kenzi, suddenly becoming aware of her body's proximity to Hale's, took a step back. She wasn't about to let herself become seduced by the siren's lure. Her time spent flipping through the books looking for information on Medusa had also provided her with some information on sirens, males and female…not that she was about to let Hale know that.

Clearing his throat in embarrassment, Hale picked up the book and gently closed it.

"We should ask Trick if we can borrow his book."

Kenzi silently followed Hale out of the library.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Not quite what I expected." Bo said, looking around. "Kind of was expecting a bit more…grey."

"The Shadows refers to the alliterative nature of those who frequent the fringes of fae society. It's about the pretense of rules with those who would prefer to ignore the boundaries established by the rest of our kind."

"I'm beginning to like The Shadows more and more."

Grabbing Bo's elbow, Dyson guided the succubus into the well-established coffee house in front of them. The scent of the bitter brew mingled with fresh pastries and Bo took an appreciative sniff. Part of her wished they had time to sit and enjoy a bit of the fare offered by the café, as if they were on a normal date, but Bo shook off the fantasy.

The man behind the counter was tall, thin, dark-skinned and decorated with various bits of metal piercing several parts of his visible body. He looked at Dyson and subtly nodded. He pointed to the corridor leading to the washrooms and the employee's break room. The male barista looked at Bo, taking her in. Pierced eyebrows raised in surprise and the man's mouth opened, revealing a delicately forked tongue.

Bo blinked in shock.

"A Naga. His kind and the women, called Nagini, prefer to live underground. You'll usually find them living in basement apartments out in the human world." Dyson said quietly, guiding the woman towards the emergency exit at the back, only to turn her at the last minute into the employee break room.

Puzzled, Bo remained silent and watched Dyson open up another door within the room. It revealed a set of well maintained stairs leading into darkness. Straining her eyes, Bo tried to see the bottom. No luck.

Slowly, the duo made their way down the stairs only to be confronted with another door.

"Ready?" Dyson asked.

"A little late to be asking me that, isn't it?" Bo replied quietly, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

A resigned grin on his face, Dyson opened the door. The smell of the underground hit Bo's nose and she wrinkled it in distaste. Immediately after the smell, came the sounds. There were people down here…lots of people.

"Do they all come in this way?" She asked.

"No. There are other portals of entry into The Shadows, but this is my preferred option. It will take us into what passes for a park down here…not a lot of people watching."

"Where are we exactly?"

"It's the tunnels beneath the city. This part was blocked off many years ago so there's little worry that humans will find us. We also have our kind working at city hall in the planning and engineering areas. Their role is to ensure that no one does any excavating around here."

The two emerged from their entrance and Bo took in the dark concrete park. There were benches and refuse and metal plants.

"Picturesque."

"We're underground so there is no natural light. Plants will not live down here unless there is artificial light brought in." Dyson sniffed the air and nodded to himself, satisfied that there was no danger in the immediate area. "This way. And hold my hand. It will show the others that we are together."

Bo arched a dark eyebrow.

"If we were separate, someone might attempt to take on one of us. By appearing as a pair, it will cause someone to think twice about approaching us."

"Awww…and here I thought you were sweet on me."

Sighing, Dyson led Bo out of the park-like area into the main bustle nearby. Bo tried not to stare at the businesses and what was literally a city beneath a city. There were book stores and restaurants and shops of all different sorts. The people around them looked normal enough but Bo's inner sense detected that there was power down here…non-human power. She couldn't help herself and tensed slightly.

Dyson detected the subtle clenching of Bo's hand in his and even her scent altered a bit. He leaned up against a wall and pulled her against him.

"Are you okay?"

"It's kind of like waking up and finding myself in a Harry Potter novel." Bo said softly.

Blue eyes softened in compassion and Dyson turned Bo around before pulling her up against him again. He wrapped his arms around Bo's athletic body and nuzzled the side of her neck. To anyone passing by, they were simply a pair of romantic Fae.

"Don't let anyone know what you're feeling. You are already well known and it won't be long before someone recognizes you. To let them know how you're feeling, as well, gives them advantage. Unlike The Dell, your thoughts and emotions can be used here…used against you."

"And what about you?"

"Me?" Dyson queried, his voice soft and warm against Bo's ear.

"What if someone recognizes you, too? I mean, can you be seen with me?"

"Remember, no rules here in The Shadows." Was the response.

Making an impromptu decision, Bo tilted her head back at a slight angle, her mouth connecting with Dyson's. The were-fae did not resist Bo's attentions, knowing she would need some extra strength for protection in this new environment.

As their tongues battled, blue strands of wispy magic swirled and danced from Dyson into Bo. Her eyes gleamed bright blue, matching Dyson's for a brief moment. They separated with Dyson still leaning against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Bo asked, worry in her voice.

"I'll be fine." He replied tiredly. "Just give me a moment."

Settling back into Dyson's body, Bo's frame conveyed casual relaxation, while her mind remained active, taking in the action around her. She felt the need to protect Dyson during this moment of un-admitted weakness. No one would hurt him…not on her watch.

A few minutes later, Dyson shifted subtly.

"Let's go." Gently, he pushed Bo away from him. "There's an apothecary a few blocks away that caters to aging Fae."

-\- Lost Girl -/-

Tiny bells tinkled gently as the door opened, admitting Bo and Dyson from the street into the tiny drug store. Bo looked around. At first glance, it was a normal drug store selling first aid stuffs, perfumes and bottles of medicinal elixirs. On closer inspection, however, Bo realized that the gauze bandages were made from the webs of spiders, the perfumes came from pools of water that she had never heard of and the elixirs weren't the usual cough syrups found in the human world.

Walking to the back, Dyson's hand tightened slightly around Bo's. He nodded at the woman behind the counter wearing a pharmacist's coat. Her grey hair was bundled up into a loose bun and her glasses remained perched on her nose, secured from ever being completely lost by a chain of rose metal. Except for the lab coat, she could have passed for someone's grandmother.

"That's Doriana…Light Fae specializing in herbal medicine and flora lore."

"What type is she?"

Dyson paused. "I actually don't know."

"That's because I never told you." Doriana called out, looking up the pair.

"She hears really well for an old woman." Bo muttered, feeling like a child caught passing a note in school.

"You have no idea how well I hear, young lady. Now come closer…I want to see your girl friend, Dyson." Doriana chuckled.

"My, what big ears you have, Grandma." Bo said as they approached.

The old woman barked out her laugh and tilted her head back in amusement.

"My, what big teeth you have, Grandma." Bo pointed out, her eyes opening wide before swinging over to Dyson. A scowl was etched on the were-fae's face.

"Bo, you are closer to the truth than Dyson ever cared to ask." Doriana said cryptically.

"You two have known each other a long time?"

"I knew Dyson from when he was but a pup." The old woman cackled. "He never was the type to trust easily and it took me forever to get him to realize that I could teach him a thing or two."

"Doriana instructed me on the basics of Fae medicine and our history."

"He was always full of questions once he accepted I knew the answers…but he never asked me about my Fae abilities."

"It was too personal." Dyson scowled. "I was the student. You were the teacher."

"I see your propensity for rules has not changed, Dyson." Doriana shook her head sadly. "When will you learn that the world is not so black and white?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell him!" Bo exclaimed in delight, bonding with the older woman. "He can be so uptight."

Doriana nodded. "Dyson was always the most intelligent pup in the litter…but not always the smartest, if you get my meaning."

"I know!" Bo clapped her hands in glee. Her brown eyes danced in amusement. "So what was he like as kid? I mean, did he get dirty? Climb trees? Pull the hair on little girls?"

Doriana smiled. "Dyson seldom got dirty and he ignored girls until he was much older. He excelled academically but socially…"

"Lone wolf?" Bo offered.

The pharmacist nodded. "Exactly!" Rheumy eyes looked at Dyson, taking him in as a man. "But he was always my favourite."

"Are we done discussing my childhood?" The were-fae asked, his tone cold.

"You mean you haven't shared your younger years with this delightful creature?" Doriana asked in surprise. "I would have thought you'd share such stories with your mate."

"She's not my…" "We're just…" The two younger Fae protested.

A small, knowing smile appeared on Doriana's face.

"Friends with benefits?" She asked innocently.

Bo's mouth dropped in shock. It was like hearing your grandmother discuss sex. Things like this just didn't happen.

Dyson's frown deepened.

Knowing that she had pushed Dyson to his limits, Doriana walked around the counter to hug the young man.

"I have always adored you, Dyson. You know that. And, just as I did when I was your teacher, I see things that you don't always see…or want to see."

Dyson returned the embrace, albeit stiffly.

"You're older now, Doriana and perhaps your eyesight is not what it used to be."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Bo remarked. "I think Grandma here has a pretty good set of eyes."

Doriana looked at Bo and gave the woman a wise smile. "You are perceptive, aren't you Bo? More perceptive than Dyson gives you credit for…and, I think, perhaps more perceptive than you give yourself credit for."

"You know me?" The succubus asked, caught off guard at hearing her name.

"Your entrance into The Shadows did not go un-passed…neither did the transfer of strength disguised as a lover's kiss."

Dyson swore.

"However, the Seers are puzzled."

"Seers?" Bo's voice raised in question.

"They're like the security of The Shadows." Dyson explained. "They see us, but we can't usually see them. They blend in too well."

"The Seers do not know why you are here." Doriana called out over her shoulder. She walked to the front of the store, turning the sign so that to the passer-by's, she was 'closed'. There was a strength in her step, for a woman her age, Bo noted.

"Does that matter?" Dyson asked.

"If you were a frequent visitor, no. But you work for The Ashe and you do not come here often. Now you appear with Bo…and as delightful as your mate is, she is undeclared, and that has some in The Shadows worried."

"She's not my mate!" Dyson protested.

"Way to make a girl feel wanted, Dyson. I have a feeling that it wasn't that you didn't notice girls when you were younger, but rather they decided you were a complete idiot." Bo crossed her arms across her chest.

Doriana chuckled. "Ahhh, I've missed having younger people around…even you, Dyson. You must come by more often and bring your…bring Bo with you."

"Does he have to come along?" Bo sighed.

"Why are the Seers worried? I thought all were welcome in The Shadows. There are no rules as to who can enter." Dyson asked, trying to get the women back on to the main subject.

"Because the Seers like to know everything. And, yes, no rules…more or less…but to have an Undeclared here is unheard of. Everyone here is Declared…Light or Dark. That is the way it has been since the beginning. Bo is an abnormality in our society. And as for you…your own reputation precedes you."

Bo looked at Dyson, who refused to look back.

"Whatever. We're here. The Seers will have to accept that. We're not here to cause trouble. We're just looking for someone."

"Who?" Doriana asked.

"An old Fae…Gaius Grey."

"Ah." Doriana's eyes crinkled as she smiled. "One of my favourite customers."

"Have you seen him recently?" Bo's arms uncrossed eagerly.

"Yesterday, actually." The pharmacist replied. "He's getting older each time I see him. He may not last much longer, despite my herbs."

"Has he mentioned where he's living?" Dyson's voice was professional. He was rewarded with a scolding looking from his former teacher. "Please. It's important. We think there's a connection with him and an active case up top."

Doriana remained silent. Bo reached out and took one of the older woman's hands. She noticed the warmth radiating from the powerful ( ~ Huh? ~) hands of the pharmacist. Bo instantly recognized all the signs.

"My, what strong hands you have, Grandma." She smiled.

Doriana inhaled slowly and puffed out her chest in pride. She knew that Bo had deduced her Fae type. Still, she remained silent.

"There are humans up top, Grandma, that are being turned into stone statues."

"A Medusa?" Doriana asked in shock.

"We think so. And Gaius Grey once had a Medusa statue. We think there's a connection."

Doriana looked back and forth between the two younger fae, trying to decide what to do. Dyson looked back, resolute and determined to solve the mystery with or without Doriana's assistance. Bo, was just as determined, but knew that help from the older fae was needed.

"Give me a moment and I'll get it for you." The pharmacist replied, disappearing behind the counter.

"You are such a dolt!" Bo snapped, whirling on Dyson. The were-fae took a step back in surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

"This woman taught you when you were kid, hasn't seen you in a long time apparently, is happy to see…god knows why…and you're here asking for a favour while treating her like yesterday's news!" Bo was nearly snarling at the man. "When she comes back you had better treat her with respect and thank her…and promise you'll visit her soon!"

"Spoken like a true alpha female." Doriana chuckled softly as she returned. She handed a piece of paper to Dyson. "Gaius's address is on there."

"Thank you." Dyson said awkwardly. He cleared his throat. "It…it was nice to see you again."

Doriana's eyes misted up. "It was good to see you, too, Dyson. I know you're all grown up, but in my eyes, you'll always be that little pup who came to me all angry and untrusting, but left the den smart and ready to take on the world."

Dyson swallowed. He turned and made his way to the front of the store.

"Bo!" He barked.

"Coming, sweetie!" Bo called back, her voice laced with sarcasm. Turning she hugged Doriana. "I won't tell him you're were-fae, like him. If he can't figure it out, then he'll just prove he's the big dumb guy I thought he was."

"Give him a chance, Bo." Doriana hugged the younger woman back. "He is the way he is for a reason. You better go before he starts to howl."

Smiling, Bo left with Dyson, their path down the street watched by both the Seers and Doriana. The Seers watched in confusion and suspicion. Doriana watched with love and affection.


	8. Chapter 8

[Author's Notes – Thank you for the wonderful reviews! I actually did start working on a songfic for 'Lost Girl' to the tune 'Monster Mash'. Sadly, I managed to get about halfway through and then my creative flow ended at the stroke of midnight. Halloween was over and so was my attempt at that, apparently.

Tvnut loves Godric – Glad you like the Bo/Dyson pairing! While I can see the chemistry between Bo and Lauren, that kind of pairing is not my forte at writing. Besides, fae probably live longer than humans, so what kind of relationship can those two women have?

Tatablp – I hope you don't "hate" the Bo/Lauren stories! I think there is a lot of potential with that pairing and we've seen some very nice examples of writing for that duo.

Queen Tigress – With only 7 episodes aired (at least where I am), I'm working with what I've got and taking a lot of creative liberty. Now the funny part will be if we see this stuff actually make it into a script in the future. If The Shadows are ever brought into the show and an elderly lady named Doriana, you can tell your friends you saw it here first!]

**Chapter 8**

"No answer." Hale grumbled, closing his cell phone.

"Welcome to my little world." Kenzi replied, plopping herself down on the sofa. She and Hale had returned to the abandoned shack the two women called home. "Wanna order a pizza or something?"

"Sure. Let me guess, I'm buying?"

"You ARE the guy here…it's only right." The woman flashed the siren a bright smile.

"And I thought I was the one with charm." Laughed Hale, placing the order for a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. [Author's Note – Written in after Episode 107 aired…added the details of the pizza]

As they waited, Hale sat on the floor by Kenzi, the book placed on the coffee table and opened to the section detailing the Medusa.

"The Dawkins boy has until the next full moon before he becomes a permanent addition to the world of garden decorations." Hale read out loud. "That's tomorrow."

"Let's hope Bo and Dyson are back by then." Kenzi yawned. "So the wolfman didn't say where they were going?"

Hale shook his head and kept reading. "It gets worse for Dawkins. Until he becomes a permanent statue on the eve of the full moon, while he is physically unable to move, his mind is still active. He might have even seen us or heard us talking right in front of him, but couldn't do a damn thing to let us know he was there."

"Bummer." Came the reply. "So what do we do in the meantime…after we eat, I mean."

"The only thing that can save him is the destruction of the Medusa. The power is in the head…which might explain why Gaius threw it into the pond. The Medusa's power does not have same impact on us Fae like it does on humans. Rather than turn us into stone, it calls out to us…lures us in…and we end up under the Medusa's spell. The Medusa gains power from turning humans into stone and with a Fae able to lure the victims in…"

"She's set for life. Maybe Gaius was under the Medusa's spell."

"That's what I'm thinking." Hale replied. "The worst of it is, is that he probably realized it but couldn't do anything about it…like Dawkins as a statue. Somehow, he gained the will to separate himself from the statue by throwing it into the pond."

"But if it went into the pond, how did Dawkins become a statue? And how did stoner boy end up in the garden? And what do we need to do?"

"I can't answer the first two questions, but as with most things magical, we need to destroy the Medusa head. The spell will wear off for Dawkins…if we're successful before tomorrow night. The other victims are probably lost to us forever."

"It's stone." Kenzi pointed out. "Drowning it doesn't work. We don't exactly have a lava pit nearby to throw it into. I'm thinking a stick or two of dynamite should do the trick."

Hale sighed. He hated to admit it, but Kenzi's idea was sounding like their best option so far.

~ I must be getting hungry. ~ He mused.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

"This place needs a bus route or cars." Bo muttered after over an hour of walking. Dyson remained silent, his body on full alert to detect any trouble heading their way. The address given to them by Doriana led to the outer edges of The Shadows. The fringe of the underground Fae network was filled with decrepit buildings and smelled suspiciously like human waste and rotting flesh.

Every now and then, there was a faint scurrying sound in a nearby building, causing Dyson to tense up. He found himself wishing he had guzzled back an energy drink before they had entered the area, but hoped that the presence of two Fae would be enough to keep away possible attackers.

"This is it." He said simply, stopping in front of a rundown shack. A faint glow emanated from an upstairs window.

"Looks like someone left a light on for us. How welcoming." Bo replied glibly.

Walking through the gap in the fence where a gate had probably once stood, Dyson approached the front door and knocked loudly…and waited…and knocked again…and waited…and sighed heavily.

"He's old. He either doesn't hear us or it takes him a while to get from upstairs to here."

"We don't have time for this." Dyson snarled crankily, reaching for the door knob. Just as his hand reached the old metal knob, the door slowly opened. An old man, stooped at the shoulders, greeted them. His bald head was covered in splotches of liver spots and his frame was thin, almost to the point of starvation. Bo was certain that she had seen small dogs that weighed more than this man did.

"Excuse me, are you Gaius Grey?" She asked politely.

"Depends." Came the reedy voice.

"That's a yes." Dyson said curtly. "We need to speak to you about the Medusa."

At the mention of the statue, the old man clapped his hands to his ears and started to wail. The younger fae looked at each other in confusion. Without saying a word, Dyson pushed past the old man, dragging Bo behind him.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, stumbling into the house.

"We're calling attention to ourselves by standing out there." Dyson said testily. "His yelling isn't helping. Shut the door."

"Who died and made you leader of the pack?" Bo asked. She was rewarded with a dark look from the were-fae. "When did you lose what little sense of humour you had?" Bo had noticed Dyson's mood becoming progressively darker over the time they had been in The Shadows. He wasn't saying any thing beyond what was necessary and it was beginning to worry the succubus. Dyson wasn't always one for small talk, but he had become almost hostile over the past little while.

"Mr. Grey." Dyson said tersely, pulling the older man's hands away from his ears. The whining continued. "Gaius!"

The old man sniffled and opened his watery grey eyes. Dressed in grey slacks, a grey sweater over a grey shirt, Bo was pleasantly surprised that something in the Fae world actually was as it was called.

"What?" The man asked, his voice weak but hostile.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"The Me…" Dyson started. The old man started to whimper and rock back and forth on the balls of his orthopedic shoes.

"Well, we know what today's secret word is now." Bo remarked dryly.

"She wouldn't let me go! She wouldn't let me go!" The old man cried loudly, hiccupping his breaths.

"Calm down, Mister Grey." Bo said soothingly, her hands running up and down his threadbare grey sweater. "You're safe with us."

Eventually, the elderly Fae stopped his crying, interjecting his breaths with an occasional sniffle. He looked around him, taking stock of where he was. "She won't find me here." He whispered conspiratorially to Bo. The succubus nodded silently and led Gaius to a chair in the kitchen. Dyson put a kettle on to heat and set about making a tea from the herbs in the kitchen. Some he recognized from Doriana's shop and others he knew from memory alone. Gaius must have collected them from up top before venturing down in to The Shadows.

The were-fae could feel the pull of The Shadows tugging on his control. There were no rules down here. No codes to follow. He could do whatever he wanted and none would hold him accountable…save for the rule that Light stayed with Light and Dark with Dark. Bo was the Undeclared, though. Down here, she was fair game and no one would think any less of him for claiming her for his own. The temptation was wearing down on him. In his weakened state, what little energy he had went towards keeping alert for possible threats. Bo's proximity sang out to his inner wolf and Doriana's knowing looks hadn't helped. Abruptly, Dyson grabbed at the whistling tea kettle and poured the hot water over the cup strainer filled with various herbs. He carried the tea over to Gaius and, unsmilingly, set the delicate china down in front of the man.

"Drink." He said harshly, ignoring the pointed stare from Bo.

A pair of aged hands reached for the cup of hot liquid. Bo pulled Dyson aside and whispered, "What's up with you? You're suddenly…hostile."

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Dyson. With everything that we've done…do…not…lie to me."

Blue eyes turned to ice and Bo felt herself wanting to shiver from the cold in that gaze. Still, she refused to back down and the two younger Fae found themselves in something that resembled an old-fashioned staring contest…until a soft purr of satisfaction reached their ears. The two broke their gaze and turned to look at the old man, a soft smile etched on his wrinkly face.

"I have not had such a blend of herbs since…" His frail voice trailed off.

"Trick?" Dyson asked, forcing gentleness into his tone.

Gaius looked up. "Yes!"

The were-fae recalled Trick's words to him. "Trick misses you. He says it has been far too long since the two of you last spent time by a fire discussing issues of old."

Gaius nodded sadly. "It is because of her that I lost my friend…all of my friends."

"It's not too late." Bo prompted, kneeling down beside the aged man.

"Come with us." Dyson offered. "We can take you to Trick. She will not harm you as long as you are with us."

Hope flared in the grey eyes.

"It would be nice to see my old friend…before….before I…" Silence.

Bo and Dyson knew that Gaius was predicting his death but did not complete the sentence. Some things were best left unsaid; they were experts at such matters.

"Come with us." Bo repeated the offer.

The old man paused a moment and then nodded slowly.

"After my tea."

-\- Lost Girl -/-

"I'm stuffed." Kenzi proclaimed, licking her fingers loudly. "How do cops always find the best food places?"

Hale grinned. "Maybe if you hung around more of them, you wouldn't be so thin."

The young woman frowned. "I'm not too thin…I'm svelte."

"You're skin and bones, lady." The siren replied. "A man likes a little substance to his woman." Hands slowly carved an hourglass in the air.

"Good thing you're not my man, then. You'd have me looking like a babushka." [Author's Note – scarily enough, I had this part written before Episode 107 aired where Hale calls Kenzi a babushka]

Dark eyes blinked at the possibility.

"Don't go there, Hale." Kenzi warned. "I mean, you're cute and all…but this place has enough issues with the Bo-Dyson show. It doesn't need the Kenzi-Hale subplot."

"See, there's another problem you have." Hale's voice was gentle. "You always think of Bo first. Sure, she may be alpha around here, but you need to understand that you do bring something to the relationship and that makes you totally worthy to run with her."

"I know that!" Kenzi protested.

Hale rolled up from sitting on the ground by the couch and positioned himself so that he was eye level with Kenzi.

"Do you?" His voice was melodic.

"Don't try your siren tricks on me, Hale." The woman warned.

Brown eyes blinked again in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm on to you."

Hale frowned. "You didn't just read up on Medusa, did you?"

"Nope. Let's just say I'm a little bit more aware of certain Fae types out there. By the way, do you think Dyson would like a flea collar for Christmas?"

A worried look crossed Hale's face as he stood up and collected the remnants of the pizza. It was one thing to share your Fae abilities with another…it was something completely different to share them with a human. But when a human knew the details of those abilities…Hale couldn't help the unease that passed through him.

"Hey, I'm your side, remember?" Kenzi called out.

~ No, you're on Bo's side. ~ The male siren thought gloomily.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It had taken some planning on their parts, which is to say much discussion, but in the end, Bo and Dyson had left The Shadows with Gaius via a portal different from the one they had entered through. Bo wanted to stick to their original route, knowing the old man would be nervous up top, but Dyson wanted to leave The Shadows as quickly as possible to avoid detection by the Seers. In the end, the two had agreed that, as cliché as it was, Gaius would don an old cloak, covering his face and they would leave The Shadows at a gate located just before the main city below. Once up top, Bo and Gaius had remained at a nearby park, under the shaded protection of an old oak tree. Dyson had disappeared to change into his wolf form and race back to his car. Not long afterwards, the three were on their way back into the city…up top.

Dyson checked his messages once they were on the road. He relayed the message from Hale to Bo.

"Good. I'll call Kenzi and have them meet us at The Dell."

Dyson nodded in agreement.

Bo picked up on the non-verbal assent but also noticed that Dyson seemed more comfortable now that they were up in the sun's natural light. She wondered if Dyson's inner wolf felt confined and trapped underground.

~ But Doriana seemed okay…then again she's probably been living down there for a long time. ~

"How old is Doriana?" Bo asked Dyson, who merely shrugged in response.

"Older than both of you but younger than I." Came the response from the back. Bo twisted in her seat to face Gaius. "Her kind ages normally until they hit puberty when it slows down and then really slows down once they are no longer in their teenage years."

Bo looked at Dyson. "So how old are you then?"

Silence. Not even a tightening of fingers around the steering wheel.

Sighing heavily, Bo slumped down in her seat. It was going to be a long car ride back to the city.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

Hale opened the door to The Dell at Dyson's coded knock. The bar would open in a few hours, but until then it belonged just to this group. The siren stood to the side as Bo and Dyson ushered in a figure, hidden from view in a moth-eaten grey cloak. Priding himself on the good quality of his clothing, Hale stepped backed ensuring the cloak did not touch him.

As the door was locked behind them, Bo looked at Kenzi watching them with a brightly curious gaze.

"Did we miss much?" The succubus asked.

"Yeah. Did you know that Hale is a chicken? He wouldn't play a strip game with me. I don't see what his issue is. We were alone." Kenzi pouted.

Bo looked at the siren who had the good sense to look away. Kenzi rolled her eyes.

"Smart man." She whispered. "Kenzi cheats."

"I don't know about that." Hale started. "But she certainly plays dirty. What bothers me is that that doesn't bother me."

Nodding in understanding, Bo followed Gaius who slowly, cautiously ventured further into the bar, sniffing the air and sighing in contentment.

"It is as I remembered." He said after a moment to no one in particular.

All looked up at a quiet thump-clink coming from the bar. Trick placed a wooden crate of glasses on the top of the counter and looked at the cloaked figure. Worried brown eyes looked at Dyson for a moment and then lightened with recognition.

"Gaius? Is that you my old friend?"

Pale hands reached up and pushed the hood of the cloak back, revealing a bald head and tired face.

"Trick." Gaius smiled at the gnome. "It has been far too long."

Trying to hide his surprise and dismay at the state of his friend, Trick ambled forward. Four hands clasped in greeting of friendship and remembrance.

"You are looking well, Trick." Gaius said and then sighed. "I, on the other hand…"

"Are alive and with those I trust."

"Did you hear that?" Kenzi stage-whispered to Bo. "He trusts me!"

"Everyone has their moment of weakness." Trick protested lightly, leading Gaius towards the bar. The others gave the two men some privacy. "How are you, my friend?"

"Tired. Old and tired." Came the response as Gaius struggled out of his cloak. Trick helped the older fae and draped the worn material over the surface of the bar. The gnome hopped behind the bar and whipped out a china mug. He placed a metal sieve over the rim of the cup and started to place various bits of herbs in the strainer. Grabbing a kettle of hot water, Trick poured the steaming liquid over the herbs, leaving a large gap from the rim of the cup. Gaius looked up, puzzled at first and then knowing when Trick grabbed a bottle of amber liquid. Gentle hints of fermented honey and mash wafted up as the two liquids blended in the cup. "Mmmm…just as I remembered."

"Think Trick will be able to help him?" Bo asked, worry in her voice. Refusing to sit, despite the comfortable benches in the semi-private area they were in, Bo crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. She watched the men at the bar with wide eyes.

"He doesn't have much of a choice." Dyson replied, standing beside Bo. "We need to find that Medusa."

"Speaking of…" Kenzi prompted the group and hopped herself down onto the couch. "While those two are having their tete-a-tete, Hale and I got the low-down on snake lady's statue head."

Bo and Dyson listened patiently as the other two explained the results of their research in Trick's library. Neither interrupted as the need to destroy the Medusa was conveyed in order for Dawkins to be returned to his human state.

"But where is the Medusa?" Bo asked. "If she's turning people into stone, I'm guessing she's not in the pond anymore. Dawkins wasn't exactly stoned in a bathing suit."

"Someone's dredged her out of the water." Dyson said; it was more of a statement than a question.

Everyone looked over at Gaius.

"He was saying she has a hold over him." Bo said, realization dawning.

"And stoner boy was just recently frozen." Kenzi pointed out.

Dyson walked over to the two men at the bar, his superior sense of smell detecting that the cup now contained more fermented honey and mash than it did tea. Judging by the way Gaius was actually giggling, as well, it didn't take much for the were-fae to realize that the old man was well on his way to becoming drunk. He raised an eye brow at Trick who shrugged innocently.

"So, Gaius." Dyson asked, swinging a leg over a bar stool and settling himself down on the cushion. "You ready to talk yet?"

"Talk?" The aged fae hiccupped.

"Where is she?"

"Oh, her…you want to talk about HER. It's always about HER. No one ever wants to talk about me…except Trick." The old man moaned his complaints.

"And we can talk more about you, Gaius, if you'll help Dyson out." Trick explained gently.

"I threw her into the pond." Gaius said sulkily, his grey eyes down cast.

Dyson knew there was more to the story.

"I believe you. You threw her head into the Millenium Pond. Many saw…even Trick was there watching." Dyson replied. The gnome nodded in agreement. "But the story doesn't end there, does it?"

"Noooo." Gaius cried out softly. "No. Her pull was too strong. I could hear her calling to me."

"What did you do, Gaius?" Trick asked, his voice gentle and concerned.

"I…I pulled her out." Gaius Grey sobbed. "But I didn't take her home. I could not. So, I left her in a hollowed-out tree near the pond."

"What did she have you do?" Dyson questioned. Bo approached quietly, wanting to hear the story.

"She would call to me…lure me to her. She gains life from those that remain frozen. But the people, we could not just leave them where they were, so they were added to my gardens at my house." Gaius looked at Trick sadly. "I sold my house recently. Did you know that?"

Trick nodded. "I'm going to miss our chats in your library. But my own rooms are always open to you, my friend."

Gaius smiled weakly. "I won't be here for much longer. Her pull has drained my own life from me. And I have spent much of my life worrying about the pain caused to those who fell under her gaze."

"She needs to be destroyed." Bo said quietly.

"I tried." The old fae muttered, holding out his now empty china mug. Trick filled it with just the sweet smelling alcohol.

"Why don't you just tell us where the Medusa head is and we'll do the rest?" Suggested Dyson. "After that, you can come back here with Trick.'

Gaius sighed heavily. "I am too old for this."

"Then help us, Mister Grey." Bo stepped forward and put a hand on the older fae's knobby knee. A pulse of gentle yellow coursed from her hand and through him. "Help us help a young man and spend the rest of your time knowing that you have done the right thing."

Tears pooled in the grey eyes of Gaius and spilled over, sliding down his cheeks. The lanterns behind the bar reflected off of his bald head, hanging in shame.

-\- Lost Girl -/-

The sun was setting and Bo pulled her jacket tighter around her. The temperature was dropping, as well, and while it was still a warm evening, the succubus just couldn't fight the worry that was settling in the pit of her stomach. Part of it was the case. There was nothing good about a Medusa head turning humans into statues. But the larger part was her worry about Dyson.

There was a fanaticism about him that made her wonder if he was ignoring everything just to solve the case.

~ He's a pit bull with a bone. ~ She grinned at the canine analogy.

"Something amusing you?" Dyson asked coldly, his pale gaze sliding sideways towards the succubus.

"Yeah, I was thinking of those jokes you told me…oh wait…I forgot." Bo gently slapped her forehead. "You don't have a sense of humour."

Dyson refrained from sighing. The woman was pushing him to his limits and he couldn't afford to have any distractions. The sooner he finished this case, the sooner he could get a break from her presence. Bo's aura…her very scent…sang out to him greater than any lure from a siren. He wasn't sure if he could maintain his control around her for much longer.

Wuffing slightly, the were-fae looked back at Hale helping Kenzi to not stumble in the wooded park as the sun lowered in the sky. The twilight shadows were coming out to greet the party and if it hadn't been for the Medusa, Dyson knew he would have enjoyed running on four legs through the trees, dancing with the early evening's approach.

"I left her there." Gaius stopped and pointed at an old willow tree near the pond. "She can view the pathway from her perch and, if spotted, turn her victim into stone from there."

The old fae's breathing was faintly laboured and Dyson experienced a moment of guilt for pushing Gaius so hard.

"Has anyone given any idea as to exactly how we're going to get her?" Kenzi asked. "I don't think we should touch her or look at her."

"Looking at her won't hurt us…only you." Bo reminded her friend. "But we can't run the risk of touching her. That may be how she forges a connection with her fae…help."

Gaius smiled weakly. "Very kind of you to call me that."

Kenzi opened her mouth to speak but closed it at a sharp glance from Bo.

"We can wrap it up in my coat." Dyson said. "I'll climb up the tree from the other side and wrap the head up before climbing down."

"Climbing trees just like when you were a boy?" Bo questioned. Hale blinked in surprise as Dyson merely growled softly and walked over to the tree. The group watched Dyson neatly scamper up the thick bark.

"You sure he's not a squirrel instead?" Kenzi asked to no one in particular.

Bo watched in silence, trying to not admire the athletic prowess of her lover. Her heart beat a little faster, worrying that he might fall but her brain reminded her that he was full of skills that she was only just beginning to discover.

Carefully, Dyson steadied himself on the tree, on the side opposite from the notch where the Medusa sat. He sniffed the air delicately, detecting a strange scent. Part of it was the magic of the statue and the other…

He looked down and met Bo's dark gaze. The Medusa scent blended with Bo's on the gentle breeze. Even up here, he could sense Bo. Dyson bit back his groan. Wrapping his coat over the large hole, Dyson blindly felt around ensuring he secured the Medusa and had her properly covered. He was thankful that no humans were in this part of the park for the time being, but knew he had to climb back down the tree as quickly as possible.

Cautiously, the were-fae started his descent. It didn't take long for the whole group to realize that climbing up the tree had been the easier of the two directions. Bo stepped forward.

"Drop her, Dyson." She called up. Stubbornly, he shook his head.

"We can run the risk that my coat will fall off."

"Use the sleeves and tie it up like a present." Bo nearly stamped her foot in frustration. "Or do you pay those old ladies at the mall to wrap up Christmas gifts for you."

"It goes to charity." Dyson growled down at the succubus.

"Oh for the love of!" Kenzi nearly shouted. "If you two are going to have a lover's spat, do it on your own time."

Hale nodded in agreement and then looked over at Gaius. The old fae had paled, his watery eyes not leaving the bundle in Dyson's arms.

Dyson, determined to make it down the tree with the statue in his hand, felt out with foot for more grip. Feeling secure, he shifted his weight only to lose his footing and be rewarded with an uncontrolled slide down the rough bark of the old willow tree.

"Dyson!" Bo called out, frantic.

"Ooof!" He exhaled loudly, connecting with a solid branch and once again stable. Looking around, Dyson realized he had little choice but to drop the head down to Bo. Blue eyes stared down at her. Bo nodded, saying nothing. A small smile graced Dyson's face. With Bo, he didn't need to always explain what he was about to do…more often than not, she understood. Perhaps not why…but she knew the what.

~ She'd understand why if you let her in. ~ His inner wolf chided him.

Slowly, Dyson reached out and dropped the head.

Bo reached up to catch the parcel.

"No! She's mine!" Gaius called out and with a speed and strength that none would have guessed he possessed, he raced forward, shoving Bo out of the way.

"Ooof!" Bo exhaled loudly, mimicking the sound made moments ago by Dyson. She looked up and saw him sliding down the tree, leaving claw marks down the dark pewter bark that protected the tree's soul. Despite the slide, Dyson's eyes didn't leave hers. He landed with a soft thwump and reached down to help Bo up. They looked over at Gaius, sitting on the ground, rocking back and forth.

"She's mine. She's mine. She's mine." The old man whimpered. "She loves me. I love her. I would do anything for her."

Hale and Kenzi stepped forward.

"Stay back!" Gaius cried out. "Or I'll unwrap her!"

Feeble fingers clawed at the sleeves of the jacket, in an effort to open the bundle. Hale spun Kenzi around, shielding her against her chest and away from the Medusa's evil stare.

"Hey!" Came the muffled squeak against him.

"You're my partner in crime on this…can't have you turning into stone on me. Especially if we aren't successful in destroying her." Hale's song whispered into Kenzi's ears. Slowly, she nodded, settling into the siren's protective embrace.

"If you love her," Dyson said softly, "You need to let her go."

Bo looked sharply at the were-fae. She wondered if he was speaking of Gaius or himself.

"Noooo." Gaius sobbed.

"She's hurting others, Gaius." Bo called out, her voice compassionate. "She's hurting you. If she loved you, she wouldn't want to hurt you."

Grey eyes looked over at Bo, a small cunning smile appearing on the wrinkled face.

"Those exact words were spoken to your father."

Bo blinked, startled.

"What?" She whispered.

"Those words were said to your father…about your mother."

Bo's knees grew shaky and Dyson reached out to steady her. This was not going the way he planned. He needed Bo on his side, not distracted by words on her parents.

"You're lying, old man." Dyson barked. Bo looked at the man beside her, puzzlement and confusion etched on her face. She took in the hardness on Dyson's lean face and realized that he truly believed Gaius to be lying.

"What if he's not?" She whispered.

Evil laughter reached their ears. They looked at Gaius who stared down at the package.

"It's her. She's calling out to me. Telling me what to do…what to say. She shows her love of me by calling out to me."

"It's the Medusa, Bo." Dyson whispered. "She's telling him what to say…picking up on our desires. We need to get the head back from him."

Slowly, Bo nodded. In her heart, she believed Gaius's words to be true but with no evidence…

"It's a lie, Bo. Believe me." Dyson's soft voice was harsh. "Please. I need you. I can't do this without you."

Silence.

"Please." Dyson repeated the word.

Again, Bo nodded, but this time with more conviction.

Relieved, Dyson tried to think of a plan.

"If I talk to him…distract him…can you….shift? Steal the package?" Bo's words reached his ears. It was simple but it would probably work.

Bo removed herself from Dyson's touch, feeling a sudden well of emptiness form within her. She fought the urge to step back into the were-fae's warmth.

"You need to give us the Medusa." Bo said to Gaius, stepping around to face the man. "She's harmed too many people. She's killing you. I thought you wanted to do the right thing."

"I do. Being with her feels right."

"But is the hurt she causes right, Gaius?" Bo squatted down a few feet away, eye level with the older man. "Love means not hurting those we care about. Love means understanding the needs of those we care about."

Gaius reached up and ran his hands across his bald head, indecision clearly marked on his face. Dyson took that moment to allow his inner wolf to partially morph him and give him that extra burst of speed he needed. A blur raced between Gaius and Bo.

"Noooo!" Gaius called out, clutching at empty air. Bo lunged forward and kept the old man from going after Dyson, who stopped further away before confirming the Medusa head was still safely wrapped up. "She's mine."

"No, Gaius." Bo's voice was gentle as her arms wrapped around the frail body of the older fae. "You were hers…and it's time to end that."

"Let's get him back to Trick." Dyson called out. Bo nodded and helped Gaius to stand. Grey eyes stared at the bundle wrapped in Dyson's black leather jacket, but Gaius made no move to steal the Medusa back.

"Are you two coming?" Bo looked over at Hale and Kenzi, a wide grin on her face. "Or do you want a private moment?"

"Hmmph?" Was the muffled response. Slowly, Kenzi pushed herself away from the male siren who looked mildly relieved. "Yeah…and thanks for the protection, my man. You're good."

"We so need to have a talk after this." Bo hissed at Kenzi as the group left the park.

"Nope. Nothing to talk about." Kenzi's response was brisk…too brisk. "Nothing at all."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Thank you for agreeing to see me at such a late hour, Mister Mercer." Bo smiled at the nondescript man standing in the doorway.

"Of course. How could I say no?" Bill Mercer actually blushed at Bo's attention.

"Yeah, impossible, wasn't it?" Kenzi piped up from her leaning stance against the wall of the house. Dyson and Hale were behind her; Dyson shooting dark looks at the rich man, his hands clenching.

"Ah, you're…you're all here." Bill looked somewhat disappointed.

"Yup…hail, hail the gang's all here." Kenzi muttered, pushing past Bill. "Pulse him already, Bo. It's late and I'm hungry."

-\- Lost Girl -/-

The group stared at the statue of Arthur Dawkins, uncertain how to proceed. With a little bit of succubus encouragement from Bo, the rich Bill Mercer had been convinced to go to bed and to not awaken until well into morning.

"So now what?" Hale asked.

"I don't know." Dyson admitted.

"You thought you'd be struck by inspiration if we came here?" Kenzi asked, rather surprised, looking around at the statues that were once people. Dyson normally had a plan. Bo was the type who was prone to winging it. The were-fae simply shrugged his shoulders.

Even Hale whistled his surprise. The nearby trees shuddered at the sound.

Bo looked up suddenly, an idea forming in her brain.

"How powerful is your song, Hale?' She asked.

"What do you mean?" The siren was confused.

"I mean…can you blast through stone…a statue head perhaps?"

"Bo, this is no ordinary statue." Dyson pointed out.

"Look, I'm not a science genius, but if the sound waves are just right, I was thinking that Hale's song could shatter the Medusa. I mean banshees can wail, but Hale can direct his song…right?"

The siren nodded, pondering what it would require of him.

"It's worth a shot." Hale finally said, hoping it would work. "But you folks may want to go back into the house. This might get painful for you."

A bit disgruntled at being sent away, Bo and Dyson slowly nodded their consent. Only Kenzi remained behind.

"You especially, Kenzi." Hale warned.

"I know. I just wanted to…umm…wish you luck." She clenched her hand and held it out. "Fist pump for luck?"

Smiling, Hale formed a fist and connected his clenched fingers with Kenzi's.

"For luck." He repeated, watching the young human woman skip after the two fae. Leaning down, he carefully unwrapped Dyson's coat and looked at the Medusa. "I hear you…I hear your song. It's time for you to hear mine."

Starting quietly, Hale whistled his song. Incrementally, he increased his pitch, his tone, his volume. The trees nearby started to shake and quiver at the vibrations of sound surrounding them. If the siren didn't know better, he would have thought the plants were trying to aide him. Reaching out, he touched a birch tree, its silvery skin glowing softly in the moon's light. The branches trembled slightly before Hale's own song was amplified by the power of nature.

Hale clutched at the tree, starting to feel dizzy at the lack of oxygen beginning to burn in his lungs. Or so he thought. The statue head began to blur. A soft cracking sound reached his ears and Hale's song grew louder. The Medusa would not win. There was large splintering noise and multiple fissures appeared on the face of the Medusa. She shook, with either rage or determination. One last blast from Hale and the Medusa head fractured into bits of useless, powerless stone. A wisp of green escaped upwards, shrieking in dismay before dissolving into nothingness.

"Was it something I sang?" He called out.

Slumping against the birch, Hale patted it lightly.

"Thank you, my friend." He whispered to the tree. Gently, he whistled in the direction of the house, knowing that Dyson would hear his call. He never chose to remark to his partner that it was akin to whistling for a dog. In a few moments, he was rewarded by his friend's return, the two women alongside him.

The group looked at the small pile of rubble lying on the ground.

"She's gone?" Bo asked.

"She should be." Dyson said.

"But what about Arthur?" Kenzi pointed at the statue. "Stoner boy is still…stoned." The woman knocked on the statue's head.

A quiet moan reached their ears. Bo, Dyson and Kenzi looked at Hale.

"Wasn't me." The siren protested. "I'm too manly to voice my complaints so publically."

The group looked over at the statue of Arthur Dawkins and gaped as it began to soften in hue and bend. It wasn't long before his stone skin was replaced by flesh. He looked at the group wildly before collapsing to the ground

"What happened to me?" He asked faintly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"What do you remember?" Bo asked, kneeling beside him.

"I was walking through the park. Then I was here. And I saw you…heard you…but couldn't say anything."

Dyson's lips thinned. It was time to call in The Ashe's team of helpers to clean up the mess.

"Come with us." He ordered, his voice brooking no discussion. "We'll help you through this."

"Like I have a choice." Arthur replied, standing up on shaky legs. "I don't even know where I am."

-\- Lost Girl -/-

Celtic music kept a lively tune in the Dell. Fae of all sorts laughed, sang and danced about the bar…except in a semi-private booth off towards the back. There a group of four sat in seclusion. Hale and Kenzi each sat on wing chairs at the end. Hale had his feet firmly on the ground, his brown eyes taking in Kenzi's posture, draped over the arms of the chair across from him. Between them, on the over stuffed sofa, sat Bo and Dyson. Dyson's feet were propped up on the coffee table while Bo tucked her legs neatly beneath her.

"The Ashe is taking care of Arthur and Bill. Arthur will be returned to his parents tomorrow and remember nothing but cutting through the park. We'll say he had a fall, bumped his head…"

"And couldn't be put together again?" Kenzi piped up.

Dyson grinned at the woman.

"Something like that."

Bo's brown eyes narrowed. If SHE had said that, Dyson would have sighed or glared at her. It wasn't fair that Kenzi got away with things like that. Bo knew she wasn't threatened by Kenzi when it came to Dyson…but she was jealous that he allowed her human roommate more tolerances than her.

Dyson's gaze flicked over to Bo and he knew immediately what she was thinking. Kenzi was like a kid sister to him and a human to boot…his expectations of her were less than those he had of Bo. Not to mention his desires…he desired much of Bo…more than he could afford to feel. It was unfortunate that he didn't see that his tight control over himself resulted in a tight leash over Bo.

"What about Bill Mercer?" Bo asked.

"The statues have been removed from his garden and are now in a secure area with the Light fae. We've dubbed them stolen property and told him that they've been returned to their rightful owners."

"Medusa's gone, right?" Kenzi's innocent question had Dyson raising a pale eyebrow.

"That one Medusa is gone." Trick said, carrying over a tray of assorted beverages for the group. "There are as many Medusa statues as she had heads. The good part is that the surviving Medusa's felt the demise of their sister and are probably more cautious now about their…victims…fae and human." Having imparted that glorious news, the gnome returned to his position behind the bar.

Kenzi lifted her drink and toasted Hale.

"Here's to our hero with the magnificent song." She called out.

Bo and Dyson hoisted their own drinks up to him. The siren looked both pleased and embarrassed.

"How about here's to teamwork?" He asked, smiling at the group. "We probably couldn't have solved this if we hadn't all worked together."

"Yeah, we do make a pretty good team." Bo elbowed Dyson. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The were-fae softly smiled his acknowledgement. With the case over and things looking quiet for the time being, he was hoping it would allow him the time to regain his control over his own senses when it came to the succubus.

The group looked up at a soft shuffling sound.

"Doriana!" Bo said happily, looking at the older woman. Gaius was clinging on to her arm. "What brings you up top?"

"I came to visit my friend but it appears he wants to return to The Shadows."

Gaius nodded. "Too much has happened up here…too much has yet to occur."

Grey eyes looked directly at Bo, their watery appearance momentarily gone.

"The Medusa was not lying about what was said to your father. She knew them to be true. I don't now how. I don't know why they were said."

Across the bar, Trick's eyes held Dyson's. The were-fae was convinced the gnome could hear what was being said.

Bo inhaled sharply.

"Come my friend, let's go home." Doriana tugged on Gaius's arm. He held firm.

"Sometimes Light and Dark do get along, Bo…and not just by playing in The Shadows." The old fae said. "It would serve you well to remember that."

Doriana's head of grey hair bobbed in agreement.

"Feel free to come visit me any time, Bo." The woman offered pleasantly. "I think we have much to talk about."

Bo could feel a growl starting up within Dyson and she looked at him, puzzled at the reason behind his reaction. Was he upset that she would learn more about him? Was he concerned that she would venture into The Shadows to discover information about her past? Was there something else troubling him?

On impulse, she grabbed Dyson's hand and looked at the female were-fae, "We would be pleased to visit you, Doriana."

A satisfied grin appeared on Doriana's weathered face.

"You are what I thought you were." She said and turned to leave, Gaius holding on to her arm.

"What was that about?" Kenzi asked, wiggling her fingers in the air. "I was picking up on a lot of vibes."

"Nothing important." Dyson snapped lightly, trying to tug his hand out of Bo's. The succubus arched a dark eyebrow, allowing Dyson to struggle for a few moments before she released him. It was a subtle reminder that he wasn't the only dominating alpha presence in the room.

"Uhh…let's go play some pool." Hale stood up and looked pointedly at Kenzi. She took one look at the two on the couch and scrambled off her chair to follow the siren.

"We need to talk." Dyson muttered.

"Your place or mine?" Bo's question was poised coyly, hiding her inner thoughts.

~ Please…please don't reject me. ~

~ One more night…one more night can't hurt...she's ours. Control can wait until tomorrow. ~ The inner wolf howled at Dyson.

"Mine." His blue eyes glinted as he stood up from the couch, holding out his hand. His nostrils flared at the meaning behind the use of the word 'mine'…his place and Bo was his. That was how it should be. Regally, Bo placed her own hand in his hoping he didn't detect the tremor. She should have known better.

"You okay?" He asked cautiously.

~ I can't tell him I'm scared he'll shut me out. I can't tell him I'm afraid he'll walk away from me. ~

Bo smiled brightly at her…lover. He was not her mate. He was her bedfellow for the time being.

"Of course…just hungry."

A knowing look appeared on Dyson's face as they quietly left the Dell, ignoring the stares from the pool table and not seeing the intense gaze from behind the bar.

[Author's Note – That wraps up 'Playing With Shadows'. I hope you enjoyed it. Real life is usually quite draining this time of year for me with lots of travelling for work. These last two chapters were written in such exotic places like Fort Smith, Arkansas…Winnipeg, Manitoba….Whitby, Ontario…Tampa, Florida…and all the airports in between, but I tweaked them once I returned home and had the time to focus on making sure the 'flow' was just right. I've also started up a second story that will probably include The Shadows and Doriana (I just totally adore her for some reason). Keep your eyes out for it!

~ R ~]

Vaccine vaccinated


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